Seeking a Title, Currently Untitled, Et Cetera
by AGrimmTwist
Summary: It has been a quiet year since the incident with the Cap. The day after Link's thirteenth birthday, that changes.  LinkxVaati
1. Chapter 1

**A Foreword **

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><p>Ah, come in, come in. You've come for a story, yes? Well, have a seat and I'll spin you a tale for the ages. This is the story of a young Hylian boy that finds love in the most unlikely of places. But... I'm getting ahead of myself here.<p>

Allow me to provide a few little tidbits before we begin, so you are not confused.  
>The Minish Cap is referred to as the Wishing Cap throughout the story.<br>Chilta, the mountain picori, is from the _Minish Cap_ manga. He is a bit southern in this story. Yes, yes, I know Mount Crenel is in the Northwest, sue me.  
>Belari, for those that don't remember him, lived in the Minish Woods and provided Link with his Remote Bombs, once certain things were done.<br>The uses of the items will, of course, be tweaked a bit. How? You'll see when we get to them.  
>Unfortunately, the characters may be a bit... well, out-of-character. I'm afraid this can't really be helped.<br>This could probably be considered just slightly AU, as, in this story, Vaati won the tournament at the beginning of _Minish Cap_ by skill rather than underhanded tactics.

Within this story, you will find:  
>Violence and gore. Eh, nothing you wouldn't see in a video game, so nothing that should worry anyone.<br>Colorful language. Again, nothing to be concerned about; you'll hear it any given day anyway.  
>Explicit malemale sex involving a Hylian and a picori. Children, this is your cue to get your scrawny tails out of here. If you're still here, shame on your parents.

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><p><strong>A disclaimer<strong>

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><p>As a sort of blanket disclaimer for this entire story, the characters and locations herein are property of Shigeru Miyamoto and the Nintendo corporation. I make no profit from this, et cetera et cetera and so forth.<p>

Now! On to the story, yes?


	2. Chapter 2

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Full frontal nudity used for comedy<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Are we all prepared? Very well. Stay a while... and listen...**

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><p>Link couldn't keep from smiling as he slid his tunic off and climbed into bed. The blonde Hylian boy had just turned thirteen, and though it had been a relatively quiet year after Vaati had been dealt with, he had a feeling that a new adventure would be coming his way soon. As he drifted off, he wondered when it would come, and what he would be saving the world from.<br>He had no idea that he would wake up to an adventure the very next day.

The first thing Link noticed when he awoke was the smell. After dealing with so much dark magic, he recognized the smell of it in the air. He whipped his blanket into the air, rolling for his sword and swinging, still half-asleep. When the bits of blanket fluttered to the floor, the Hylian hero saw that the only thing he'd managed to murder - indeed, the only thing there to _be_ murdered - was his source of warmth on cold nights. Sighing softly, he gathered up the bits and set them in the corner, to be sewn back together at the first opportunity.  
>He grabbed his tunic, slinging it over one shoulder and making his way down to the river near his home in southern Hyrule Field, intent on scrubbing the stupid off of his body. He felt a bit better as soon as he stepped out of his house, the beautiful, verdant green of Hyrule Field sprawling before him. Knowing that he'd saved this amazing place brought his smile back.<br>When the young hero reached the river, he set his tunic on the bank, slipping out of his tights and diving into the cool, deep water. After a few minutes of swimming and enjoying himself, he set about getting himself cleaned up and ready for the day ahead.

Small, furry paws padded toward the river; their owner knew what it was, but what he didn't know was why it was where it was. There had never been a river there before, at least to his knowledge. Still, trudging through the forest had gotten him dirty; a quick dip wouldn't hurt, and he could get a closer look at the strange river while he was bathing. He was silent as he made his way over to the bank, trying his best to keep from alerting anything that may be able to step on him. As soon as he reached the bank, he stripped off his leaf robe, carelessly tossing it over his shoulder.  
>Before he could get into the river, a blonde-haired head popped up from under the water. He could barely move; the shock had nearly given him a heart attack, and he was sure his lifespan had just gotten significantly shorter.<p>

Link took a breath as he broke the surface of the water, looking up at the bank of the river... and coming face-to-crotch with a very naked picori boy. Too stunned to react or even shut his eyes, he simply stared, several questions in his mind immediately fighting over which would be asked first. _Why is a picori here? Why is he naked? How did he get this big? Did I shrink? Don't I know all the picori in this area? Why doesn't he look like the other picori? Why am I still staring at his crotch!_ As the last question made it into Link's mind, the Hylian boy covered his eyes. "Sorry!" He yelped.  
>The picori's cheeks turned a deep shade of red, the boy diving back over to his robe and hastily donning it again. Instead of running away, he turned back to the river, looking at the boy. "Link?" He squeaked out, barely audible. He swallowed hard, trying again. "<em>Link<em>?"  
>Link moved his hands, looking up at the picori, wondering how he knew his name. The little thing was amazingly pale, with deep violet fur below his waist that Link desperately wished he hadn't seen so much of. His hips were somewhat wider than would be considered normal for his thin body size - <em>Thin,<em> Link thought, _like he hasn't eaten in weeks..._ - and his long, fluffy tail, barely whiter than his skin, was tipped with the same violet. As the Hylian's eyes trailed up to the picori's face, he had to make a conscious effort to keep his heart from stopping out of pure shock.  
>The picori boy had red eyes and long, messy lavender hair. Link hadn't realized it at first, but he <em>did<em> know the boy. In fact, the two had nearly killed each other the year before. "... Vaati...?"


	3. Chapter 3

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>None<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Ready to continue? Let's be off, then!**

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><p>"Vaati, you're a mess..." Link murmured, looking the picori up and down; his robe was in tatters, barely covering what Link had already seen just a few moments before, and he was covered in dirt. "What in Nayru's name have you been doing since our fight, living in a hole in the ground?"<br>Vaati looked away. "It's... it's a rabbit burrow..."  
>Link's eyebrows shot up, threatening to leave his head. "So you <em>have<em> been living in a hole?"  
>Vaati only nodded.<br>"You could've left." Link said, regretting his words almost immediately; he had only just run into the boy, and already made it sound like he didn't want him around.  
>Vaati stiffened, his tail bristling. "I <em>tried<em>." He hissed, finally making eye contact. "I _tried_ to leave. I even made it to Veil Falls before..."  
>Link made his way closer to the riverbank, careful not to leave the water. "I'm sorry, Vaati, I didn't mean for it to sound the way it did. What happened at the Falls?"<br>"I started having nightmares." Vaati answered. "I dreamed that horrible things were going to happen to Hyrule... and the dreams wouldn't stop until I turned around and came back."  
>Link nodded after a moment; after all he had been through, prophetic dreams were easy to believe. "What happened in the dreams?"<br>Vaati sat down on the bank, tucking his tail between his legs to keep from flashing Link again. "I..." He paused, sighing softly. "I don't remember much. Just you, and a towering man with fiery hair. And... darkness."  
>"What about you?" Link asked. "If you're having these dreams, wouldn't they have something to do with you? Wouldn't you be in them?"<br>Vaati shrugged. "If I was in them, I can't remember what I was doing."  
>"It'll come back to you, I'm sure." Link smiled. "What have you been eating, anyway? You're so skinny..."<br>Vaati chuckled a little, shaking his head. "I don't know if you noticed, but I was skinny last year, too."  
>"That doesn't mean it's healthy." Link replied. "You need to eat more. Right now, a strong breeze would probably knock you over."<br>"Oh, come on!" Vaati yelped out indignantly, crossing his arms. "I'm not _that_ thin!"  
>Link rolled his eyes. "You are. And as your friend, I'm worried."<br>Vaati blinked, staring down at Link. "F-friend...?"  
>Link nodded, holding out a hand. "Yeah. Friend."<br>"I've... never had a friend before..." Vaati murmured, taking Link's hand.  
>"Well, now you have one." Link grinned, pulling the picori boy into the river. "And as your friend, I'm also insisting that you bathe!"<br>Vaati gave a satisfying squeal as he was yanked into the water, vanishing beneath the surface. He came up for air a few seconds later, leveling a glare at the laughing Hylian boy. "And people call _me_ evil..."  
>"You have to admit, you <em>do<em> need to get cleaned up." Link said, swimming over to Vaati. "You're about as filthy as filthy can get."  
>Vaati growled quietly, diving down, coming back up without his robe. "I was planning on it before I ran into you. If you don't mind, I'd like some privacy."<br>Link gave the picori boy a pat on the head, swimming back toward the opposite bank. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Listen, don't just run off when you're done, okay? Come up to my house, it's not far. I'll get you a _real_ meal."  
>"I'm sort of going to be naked." Vaati said, already starting to scrub the dirt from his pale skin.<br>Link shrugged. "I'll leave my tunic for you. It should be long enough, just don't raise your arms above your head. And, uh... keep your tail down."  
>Vaati attempted to ignore Link, muttering to himself as he washed his tail.<br>The young hero couldn't keep himself from laughing as he reached the riverbank; though he couldn't understand what the picori boy was muttering, he was sure it wasn't very nice at all. Feeling on top of the world and looking forward to the coming adventure, he pulled his tights on and headed for home.

Twenty minutes later, Vaati found himself seated at the table in Link's home, a braised cucco leg in front of him. He was tearing into it before he could stop himself; he hadn't realized how hungry he really was. It was a bit unsettling how Link was watching him, but he was too hungry to care, and he knew the Hylian boy wouldn't waste time poisoning him when he had a perfectly good sword.  
>"Either you <em>really<em> enjoy my cooking, or you haven't had real food in a long time." Link said, seating himself across the table from Vaati. "If you're still hungry after that one, there's more."  
>"A little of both." Vaati replied, sinking his teeth into the cucco leg and ripping off another large chunk.<br>Link smiled, amused; Vaati had pretty horrible table manners, but the hero wasn't about to bring that up.  
>When nothing was left of the cucco leg but a bone, the picori boy licked his muzzle clean and looked up at his host. "Is it... just you here?"<br>Link nodded. "Yeah. My uncle passed away a few months ago."  
>"What happened?" Vaati asked.<br>Link shrugged, getting up. "Old age." He said, making his way over to the archway that led to the smith's forge. "We didn't get many orders this year, so we had a lot of time to make what _we_ wanted. I wanted to make something, but I wasn't exactly confident enough to make it myself, so I asked him to do it for me."  
>Vaati followed, licking his long, slender fingers. "What kind of sword was it?"<br>"It was... a reminder of what happened." Link answered. "I didn't think I would still be able to see the picori, so I had my uncle make that sword to remind me of my adventure last year."  
>"A replica of the Picori Blade?"<br>Link shook his head. "A replica of the sword that was used by the one that started it all."  
>Vaati's breath caught in his throat. <em>Does he mean...?<em> "My sword from the tournament...?"  
>"That's the one." Link said. "I've got it upstairs. He finished it a couple of months ago. When he gave it to me, he said that he was done, that it was time for me to take over for him. Then he went up to bed and just... never woke up. It was like something out of a book, to be honest."<br>Vaati placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."  
>"It's alright. I've gotten over it, mostly." Link replied. "Come on, I'll show it to you, then you can tell me if my uncle got it right."<br>Vaati nodded. He was about to move his hand when he felt Link's cover it, the Hylian boy giving him a warm smile. The picori blushed deeply. "Um... thank you for the food, by the way."  
>"Don't thank me, you needed it." Link laughed, leading Vaati up to the second floor and to his room.<br>Vaati looked around, giggling as he noticed the shredded blanket in the corner. "What happened, did your blanket attack you?"  
>"Oh, yeah, it was a battle for the ages." Link replied, rolling his eyes. "The sword's over there, above the bed."<br>Vaati stepped over to the bed, reaching up to the sword that hung above it, though he stopped himself before he could touch it. "Goddesses, I'm a guest in this house, I can't just go touching things... May I?"  
>"Of course." Link said. "It's kind of your sword, when you think about it."<br>Vaati took the sword down, sliding it out of its scabbard and examining it. The hilt was just as he remembered, perfectly made to be gripped by the hands of a picori, wrapped tightly in golden cloth that depicted Keese in flight. The pommel appeared to be made of gold, worked into the shape of a sinister-looking eye, just like the ones he had been so fond of when he was attempting to take over Hyrule, and a small red stone was set into the pupil. The guard, by contrast, was made of somewhat plain, black metal, in the same eye shape. The blade was single-edged, and about as long as the picori boy's leg. "It's... just like I remember it." Vaati murmured, sheathing the weapon, moving to return it to its spot when a gentle hand on his arm stopped him.  
>"You don't have to put it back."<br>Vaati slowly lowered his arm, still holding the blade. "Why not?"  
>Link smiled. "I told you, I asked my uncle to make it because I thought I would need it as a reminder of my adventure. Since I can obviously still see picori, I won't need the reminder, and who better to give it to than you?"<br>"... Aren't you worried that I'll attack you?" Vaati asked. "Everyone knows I'm evil, after all."  
>Link chuckled, shoving Vaati onto his bed. "You, evil? There's no way I'd believe that!"<br>Vaati yelped as he hit the bed, bouncing right back to his feet, holding the bottom of Link's tunic down. "Don't do that!" He scowled at the Hylian boy. "How do you wear this thing? It's like there's nothing protecting my- ... protecting me down there."  
>"It's like your robe, just shorter." Link replied.<br>"That's the problem." Vaati muttered. "I-I hate to impose, but do you think I could borrow a few rupees? I really need some actual pants..."  
>Link wrapped an arm around Vaati's shoulders. "Of course." He said. "I'll walk with you to Hyrule Town's market. I need to pick up some thread and needles to fix my blanket, anyway."<br>Vaati's cheeks pinkened as the arm wrapped around him, fighting back a shiver. He didn't understand how the hero's touch could make him feel so strangely.  
>"And don't worry," Link added, "you'll be okay as long as I'm there."<br>The strange feeling quickly transformed into something Vaati _could_ identify; anger. "I don't need you to protect me." He growled, pulling away from the Hylian.  
>Link held his hands up, taking a step back. "I'm not saying you're helpless or anything, I just meant that you'll be with the hero of Hyrule, so nobody's going to think you're up to no good."<br>"Let's just go." And with that, the picori boy was back down the stairs and out the door.  
>Link sighed heavily, hurrying to catch up. <em>Way to put your foot in your mouth, moron...<em>


	4. Chapter 4

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>None<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Are we prepared to advance, friends? Excellent. Come, into the** **unknown!**

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><p>Link noticed, as he attempted to smooth things over during the walk to Hyrule Town, that Vaati did <em>not<em> enjoy being touched when he was angry. In fact, the picori boy seemed to sense when Link was about to touch him, and would give a warning hiss that made the young hero think that he would be bitten if his hand came any closer to Vaati. Never feeling quite brave enough to risk losing a finger to those sharp little fangs of Vaati's, Link would always pull back. "Vaati, can you hang on just a second, please?" The young hero asked, stopping under a tree.  
>Vaati turned his head, glaring at Link with one ruby red eye for a moment before picking up the pace just to spite him.<br>"I'm the one with the rupees, you can't buy anything without me!" Link called. "Come on, can't we just talk for a minute?"  
>Vaati stopped, whirling around and returning to where the Hylian had stopped. "What do you want?"<br>"I want to apologize for what I said." Link replied. "I'm sorry. I just can't say what I mean lately, it's weird. I mean, I don't exactly have a silver tongue, but it's never this bad. I don't usually make people angry."  
>A wandering octorok scuttled up beside Vaati, the picori boy slipping his paw under it and kicking it aside. "And I'm not usually this irritable." He sighed, sitting down under the tree. "I... I overreacted. I apologize. I know you didn't mean to imply that I needed your protection."<br>Link slowly lowered his hand, surprised when Vaati allowed it to rest on the top of his head. "We're both sorry, then. Wanna call it even?"  
>Vaati giggled softly. "Sure."<br>Link brushed his hand through Vaati's long hair, amazed at how soft it was. "... Let's go get you some pants."  
>"Right." Vaati replied, getting up. "I think I may have flashed that octorok..."<p>

Link found himself holding Vaati's sword in the tailor's shop, waiting as the picori boy was measured. Both the hero and his companion were thankful that Vaati had been given a pair of tights to wear while he was measured; they may not have fit very well, but they did cover the picori boy a lot more than Link's tunic had.  
>"I've never made pants for a picori before." The tailor - a tall, thin, bespectacled man with more hair on his chin than he had on his head - stated as he scurried around the shop, gathering up material for Vaati's pants. "In fact, I had no idea you even existed!"<br>Vaati shrugged, as if he'd heard that thousands of times before. "Can you make them in red? And maybe a little loose? Tights don't agree with my fur."  
>The tailor nodded, setting about his work. "Of course, my boy. This won't take more than a few hours to finish. You can stay here and wait, or come back later."<br>"We can wait here." Link said. "We don't have anything else to do. Oh, and could we get some blue thread and sewing needles, as well? I have a blanket that needs to be fixed."  
>"I'll get them for you as soon as I finish with your friend's pants." The tailor replied. "If you two really want to wait here, you're free to sit. Make yourselves comfortable."<br>Link chose a chair near the shop's door, seating himself there, Vaati sitting next to him. The two boys spent the next three hours in silence, waiting for the tailor to finish.

Vaati thanked the goddesses when he was finally able to get out of the ill-fitting tights that he was wearing and into his new pants. They fit quite well, and were loose enough to keep from irritating his fur without falling down. Still, he felt that he would need a belt to keep them on if he got into a fight. He selected a cowhide belt from a rack near the rear of the shop, sliding it through the loops around the waist of his pants and buckling it. "There. How do they look?"  
>Link grinned, looking the picori over. "<em>I<em> wouldn't wear them, but they fit you pretty well."  
>"Good." Vaati nodded, taking his sword from the Hylian boy.<br>Link turned to the tailor, who had just finished setting out the needles and thread. "How much do we owe you?"  
>"Five hundred rupees for all of it." The man replied, the grin on his face making it obvious that he knew how outrageous the price was.<br>Surprisingly, Link didn't say a word about it, simply dumping the contents of his wallet onto the startled tailor's counter. "Keep what's left over."  
>The tailor set a small pouch on the counter, placing the thread inside it and tucking the needles into a pocket on the side. "For a big spender such as yourself, little hero, I have this. More colors of thread, more lengths of needle, and this nice little pouch to store it all in. Much easier to carry."<br>Vaati's eyes grew wider and wider as the exchange took place, his jaw dropping when Link upended his wallet; he had no idea the Hylian boy had so many rupees on him. Part of him wondered just how much more Link had stashed away, but he felt it would be impolite to ask. After a moment, he managed to close his mouth. "Thank you." He murmured, bowing his head to the young hero. "For spending so much on me."  
>"Hey, what are friends for?" Link replied, picking up the pouch. "Besides, what else would I do with all the rupees I found on my last adventure? Throw them in fountains?"<br>Vaati giggled quietly at the thought of Link hauling a massive bag of rupees into town, only to throw them, one by one, into the nearest fountain. "That would be kind of silly, and a waste of perfectly good rupees."  
>"Speaking of rupees, I don't have any more on me at the moment, so I think our day at the market may be over." Link said. "Why don't we go up to the castle and visit Zelda?"<br>Vaati stiffened, vehemently shaking his head. "N-no, I can't go there. I... wouldn't be welcome..."  
>The tailor, feeling that the conversation was private, headed to the back room of his shop, trusting the hero of Hyrule not to steal anything while he was gone.<br>Link wrapped his arms around Vaati, hugging the picori boy tightly. "It'll be okay, Vaati. Nothing's going to happen." He whispered in the other boy's long, knife-shaped ear. "We'll have to go there eventually, if we want to find out more about those dreams of yours. If something bad is going to happen to Hyrule, it's probably going to start at the castle."  
>"Link... you said we were friends, right?" Vaati asked, slowly relaxing in the Hylian's embrace.<br>Link nodded. "Yeah, and we are. Why?"  
>Vaati swallowed, pulling away. "Well... I've never had any friends, but I've seen how friends act. Male friends don't act like this. The touching, that hug... Male friends roughhouse, swordfight with sticks, manhandle each other if they have the strength to..."<br>"That's just how I am with my friends, and you looked like you needed the hug." Link said. "But if it's making you uncomfortable, I can stop."  
>"W-would you, please?" Vaati murmured, looking away.<br>Link smiled. "Sure. Maybe when we're better friends?"  
>"Yeah. Maybe..." Vaati replied. "Do you still think we should... go to the castle?"<br>Link shook his head. "I can go later." He said, heading toward the door. "Come on, we'll just hang out by Lake Hylia or something."  
>Vaati followed the young hero, relieved; after turning Zelda to stone and taking the king's place, he knew he wouldn't receive a warm welcome if he went to the castle with Link.<p>

Vaati tried his best to ignore the stares he was getting in Hyrule Town. The children, he knew, were amazed to see a picori his size, but the adults probably all thought he was some sort of freak of nature. When Link suggested they hurry out of town, the picori boy made a mental note to allow the young hero to hug him.  
>Once the two made it out of Hyrule Town, Link turned toward the west, and the towering Mount Crenel. "Vaati, would you mind if we went up the mountain instead of going to Lake Hylia? I haven't seen the mountain picori in a long time."<br>Vaati shrugged in response. "Why would I mind?"  
>"I just thought I'd ask." Link replied. "Make sure you were okay with it. You're going to come with me, right? On this whole adventure thing that's starting up?"<br>"Sure. I don't really have anything else I can do." Vaati said, grinning at Link and showing those fangs of his. "And if I go with you, I'll get the chance to test out this sword."  
>Link chuckled, taking off toward the mountain. "Race you to the base! If you win, I'll give you a hundred rupees!" He paused, looking over his shoulder at the picori boy. "And no magic!" When he saw the look on Vaati's face, he immediately stopped, returning to the boy. "Hey, what's wrong?"<br>"... I can't do magic anymore..." Vaati murmured, hanging his head. "It was all the Wishing Cap..."  
>"At least you still have your skill with a sword." Link said, resisting the sudden urge to hug the picori.<br>Vaati nodded. "Yeah, I guess I have that." He looked up, a grin on his face. Rolling past the Hylian boy, he ran as fast as he could toward the base of Mount Crenel. "And I'm about to have a hundred rupees!"  
>"Cheater!" Link called after him, laughing as he followed the other boy.<br>"You tried it first!"

Vaati panted as he stopped at the base of the mountain, Link just a step behind him. He gave a breathless giggle, turning to face the young hero. "I won..."  
>"Yeah, you did..." Link replied. "You're pretty fast, for a picori."<br>"I'll take that as a compliment." Vaati smiled; he knew that Link had let him win. "Are we going to take the long way up?"  
>Link shook his head, pointing to the rock wall a few yards ahead of them. "We'll climb there. It should take us right up to the mountain picori mines."<br>"Alright, let's get to climbing." Vaati said, taking the initiative and heading for the wall.  
>Link followed along behind the picori boy, catching his breath and pulling on his Mole Mitts as he walked; along with the ring he'd bought from a Deku on his first trip up the mountain, they would make climbing easy. He wondered how Vaati would make it up the wall, but he didn't have to wait long to find out; as soon as the picori boy reached the wall, he hopped up, his long fingers and odd little paws making it easy for him to grip the stones and scurry up the wall.<br>"Don't keep me waiting!" Vaati called down.  
>Link laughed as he started climbing; Vaati seemed to be really enjoying himself. <em>Maybe he likes the mountain air.<em> The Hylian thought, watching the picori boy pull himself over the edge at the top of the wall. Seconds later, a tektite came sailing over the edge.  
>Vaati peeked over after the monster. "That didn't hit you, did it?"<br>"Missed me by about three feet." Link replied, hurrying up to the top of the wall and crawling over the edge.  
>"Good." Vaati grinned. "So, which way now?"<br>Link looked around, pointing to another wall after a few moments. "Just a couple more of these and we'll reach the mines."  
>The picori boy and Hylian youth made short work of the remaining walls, quickly reaching their destination, though Link immediately noticed something wrong. "It's so... big..."<br>Vaati followed Link's gaze, his eyes widening; the mountain picori mines, once nothing more than a few old pipes, had somehow grown into a massive structure, though, strangely, it retained its original shape. "What happened to it?"  
>"We're going to find out." Link stated, starting toward it, Vaati close behind. The song of the mountain picori echoed out to them.<br>"_Ting along, tong along! Dig along for iron!_"  
>"<em>Ting along, tong along! Dig down, dig around! Dig the ground for iron!<em>"  
>"<em>Ting along, tong along! Deep down, dig down! Dig joy in the ground!<em>"  
>"<em>Ting along, tong along! Diggin' holes for Kinstones!<em>"


	5. Chapter 5

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>None<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Still with us? Let's continue, then...**

* * *

><p>The sound of a pickaxe being dropped caused Vaati to jump. He watched, confused, as Link rushed forward and leapt into the arms of a tall, wiry picori with short, thick blonde dreadlocks. The picori, dressed in only a pair of blue and red pants, dwarfed the Hylian boy, and despite the fact that he didn't look all that physically strong, he was able to hold Link up with ease and hug him tightly. The Hylian boy laughed, his arms wrapped around the mountain picori's neck. "Chilta! It feels like it's been forever!"<br>Chilta smiled, setting Link down and scooping up his pickaxe again, letting it rest over one shoulder. "Hey, buddy. How have you been?"  
>Link shrugged. "I've been alright." He replied. "It's been a quiet year." The Hylian boy paused, turning to Vaati. "This is Chilta. He's one of Melari's apprentices."<br>"I'm the second-best picori blacksmith in the world." Chilta proclaimed proudly. "Only one better is Master Melari."  
>Vaati gave a sheepish smile and waved. "I'm... Vaati..."<br>"You're smaller than I thought you'd be." Chilta said. "I heard the story from Link, about what happened, and how you weren't really in your right mind. I can't really speak for the others, but I'm glad to meet you, new pal."  
>Link grinned, nudging Chilta's side. "Smaller than you thought he'd be? That's just because you're so big." He looked toward Vaati. "Don't let his height fool you. Chilta's actually my age."<br>"I don't actually know how old you are." Vaati stated.  
>Link blinked, then chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I never told you, did I? I turned thirteen yesterday."<br>"Same here." Chilta added.  
>Vaati stared at the two of them, silent for a long moment. "... This has to be more than a coincidence." He finally said. "All three of us share a birthday, and a birth <em>year<em>."  
>"That's pretty weird." Chilta replied. "Hey, what are you guys doing here, anyway? I mean, I appreciate the surprise visit and all, but I doubt you'd climb all the way up here to see <em>me<em>. You need me to go get Master Melari or somethin'?"  
>Link shook his head. "No need to go get him, just take us to him. This may sound crazy, but some things have changed size since yesterday. Your mines here, you guys, Vaati... from the looks of things, <em>all<em> of the picori and their settlements may have grown."  
>"Let's get goin' in all kinds of hurry, then." Chilta said, leading Link and Vaati deep into the mines, toward Melari's forge. As they made their way closer, the rhythmic clang of hammer on metal became louder.<p>

Melari, to Vaati's surprise, was even larger than Chilta. However, unlike the younger picori, the master blacksmith was quite stocky, with a long mustache and bushy eyebrows that matched his thick mane of blonde hair. He didn't even look up as the trio approached, continuing to pound away at the sword on his anvil. "What do you need, Chilta?"  
>"Master." Chilta greeted him, bowing low. "Link is here, and he brought a buddy along. They need to talk to you about somethin' important."<br>Melari slid the sword into a trough of water nearby, setting down his massive hammer and turning around. "Good to see you again, Link. Is there something wrong with the sword?"  
>Link shrugged. "We haven't gone to look at it yet, but there might be." He answered. "We just came for a visit, at first, then we noticed that Vaati wasn't the only picori whose size had changed."<br>"Vaati?" Melari asked, his gaze fixed on the pale picori behind Link. "You're all skin and bones, boy." He noted, letting out a hearty chuckle as his attention returned to Link. "Yes, we've noticed the change as well. If you've come for information, I'm afraid we have none, but why not allow me to temper your sword while you're here?"  
>Link smiled, drawing his sword and handing it to the burly picori. "Thank you. Do you think we could have a look at the Cave of Flames later, to make sure nothing has happened inside since last year?"<br>"Oh, by all means." Melari replied. "Just be careful in there."  
>"Um, there was one more thing we wanted to ask you." Link said. "Has anyone around here seen a large man with fiery hair around, or heard of anyone that fits that description? We think he may have something to do with this."<br>Melari thought for a moment before shrugging. "I haven't heard of anyone like that, but one of my apprentices might have. Why don't you ask around while I work on your sword?"  
>Link nodded, turning to leave, but a slender picori hand closed around his arm. At first, he thought it was Vaati, but as he looked back, he noticed Chilta holding him. "Hang on a second." The tall picori said, letting go of Link's arm. He turned to Melari, bowing once again. "Master, this sounds like it may be a pretty big adventure they'll be going on. If they'll have me, will you allow me to leave with them?"<br>"I knew you would want to leave one day, Chilta." Melari stated. "Your training was over six months ago. You've already learned all I have to teach you. I would like you to stay, but I will not keep you against your will. You may leave, if you wish to. And if you decide to leave permanently, then I wish you luck wherever your path takes you, and hope that you will return for the occasional visit."  
>Chilta nodded to the larger picori. "Thank you, Ma- Melari. It has been an honor learning from you." He looked back toward Link and Vaati, beaming at them. "What do you think, guys? Can I tag along?"<br>"I wouldn't mind." Link said. "What about you, Vaati?"  
>Vaati shook his head, smiling. "He'll be a big help."<br>"It's settled, then." Link declared, offering his hand to Chilta. "Welcome to our adventure, Chilta."  
>"Glad to be along for the ride." Chilta chuckled, shaking Link's hand. He headed back up the stairs, starting through the mines again. "Let's go talk to the other apprentices, see what we can find out about this fiery-haired dude."<br>Link nodded, following behind Chilta, pleasantly surprised when he felt Vaati's arm around his shoulders.

Chilta shoved two fingers into his muzzle as the trio approached one of the singing mountain picori, giving a sharp whistle to get his attention. "Hey, give us a second of your time, pal."  
>"<em>Ting along, tong a-<em> huh?" The picori set his pick down, lifting his protective goggles. "What's up?"  
>Link stepped forward. "We just need to know if you've seen a big man with fiery hair anywhere around here."<br>"What, him? He snuck into the old human mines a few days ago." The picori replied, lowering his goggles again and grabbing his pick. "Was that all?"  
>Link nodded. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this is going to help us."<br>The picori shrugged, waving a hand. "No problem. Now stand back, I've got tingin' along to do. _Ting along, tong along! Sing a Minish mining song! Ting along, tong along! Smash rocks to get big and strong!_"  
>"He's the only one that makes up lyrics on the spot." Chilta grinned. "Yesterday, it was 'digging rocks up all day long'."<br>Vaati giggled softly; he was liking the mountain picori more and more with each passing minute. "That didn't take nearly as long as it could've. Should we check with the others, too?"  
>"It could get us some new information." Link replied. "I say we give it a shot. Besides, we can't leave until Melari finishes with my sword, so we'll need a way to pass the time."<br>Chilta nodded, taking the lead once again and making his way toward the apprentices' quarters. "I've gotta pick some stuff up, and there's usually at least one apprentice on break in the bedroom, so we can kill two birds with one stone."  
>When the trio arrived at the room the apprentices shared, Chilta headed for the bed closest to the far wall, starting to root through the chest of drawers at the foot of it. As he bent down to search through the drawers, Link caught sight of some kind of black cloth garment beneath the picori's pants. "What's that?"<br>Chilta blinked, looking back. "What? Do I have something on my back?"  
>"That thing you're wearing your pants over." Vaati said.<br>Chilta chuckled, going back to searching for some elusive item. "Like 'em? I got 'em from this crazy little forest picori named Belari. He called 'em 'underpants', said he'd sell 'em to anyone he could and make 'em the biggest fashion trend in the world. He gave me these for free, since I was the first one interested in 'em. They're real easy on the fur, and comfy, too."  
>"What do they feel like?" Link asked.<br>Chilta shrugged. "Kinda like tights, but a bit loose and without the legs." He replied, finally standing up straight. "Ah, there you are, you little beauties!" Grinning, the picori slid a pair of gloves on, adjusting them to make sure the metal plates attached to them were positioned over his knuckles. "These were great for trips outside as a little picori, perfect for defending myself. I think they'll do just as well against something big."  
>Link chuckled quietly, approaching a mountain picori that was seated on the edge of his bed. "Excuse me, could I ask you something?"<br>The picori nodded. "Sure, what do you need?"  
>"Have you seen a large man with fiery hair?" Link asked.<br>"Sorry, no." The picori said, shaking his head. "But I heard one of the other apprentices say something about a big guy heading south. Maybe he's headed to the Castor Wilds?"  
>Link threw his arms around the picori's neck, hugging him. "Thank you!" He smiled, pulling away after a moment and returning to his picori companions. "We've got a place to look next!"<br>"That's great." Vaati replied. "Where is it?"  
>"Once we finish checking out the Cave of Flames, we're heading for the Castor Wilds." Link answered, still smiling. "This could be over before we know it."<br>"Let's hope it's not over _too_ quickly." Chilta said, packing up a rucksack. "I'm lookin' forward to seein' all of Hyrule."  
>Link laughed. "If our adventure doesn't take us all over Hyrule, I'll personally show you all the places we miss."<br>"Sounds like a plan to me." The tall picori said, swinging the pack over his shoulder.  
>Vaati nodded. "Me, too. Now, let's see what the rest of the apprentices have to say about this fiery-haired man."<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Violence<br>Vaati breaking down **

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Are we all set to go? Come, then. We'll set out immediately.**

* * *

><p>The remaining apprentices, in Link's opinion, were just as helpful as the first two they had talked to. Three of them had stated that they had seen the man with fiery hair heading for the Castor Wilds, while the fourth had seen him enter the Cave of Flames with some sort of large device.<br>Vaati thought they were helpful, as well, though he couldn't understand how Link could hug them all as he thanked them, as if the action meant nothing to him. The mountain picori had just laughed, a couple of them even returning the embrace.  
>Chilta noticed the way Vaati acted when they finished speaking to the last apprentice, and promptly came to the wrong conclusion. "Hey, Link, I think our pal feels left out!" The tall picori said, grinning as he pushed Vaati over to Link, the ex-sorcerer falling right into the Hylian boy's arms.<br>Vaati immediately stiffened, shocked at Chilta's actions and angry that Link hadn't let him go yet, even though he knew how the pale picori felt about physical contact. He glared up at the young hero, finally able to find his voice. "Let go. _Now_."  
>"I'm not letting you faceplant the ground." Link said, keeping his arms around Vaati until the picori boy's paws were planted firmly on the ground. "If it's a choice between catching you and letting you drop, I'm going to catch you, every time."<br>Vaati nodded after a moment, his expression softening. "In that case, thank you." He considered yelling at Chilta, but decided against it; it wasn't the mountain picori's fault, and Link would probably take it upon himself to clear things up, saving Vaati the trouble of an awkward explanation.  
>Link gave Vaati a smile, then turned to Chilta, grabbing the tall picori by the waistband of his pants and dragging him off to the nearest room.<br>Vaati couldn't help but giggle; he had no idea Link had the strength to move someone Chilta's size, skinny or not. The forest picori found a somewhat flat rock nearby, seating himself on it and waiting for Link and Chilta to return.

Chilta winced as Link let him go, the band of his pants snapping painfully against his skin; that would definitely leave a red mark. "Hey, what was that for, pal?"  
>"Vaati." Link answered, scowling up at the taller boy. "He's not like I am, he doesn't like being touched."<br>Chilta blinked, tilting his head. "Why? Somethin' happen to him or somethin'?"  
>"He said it's not the way friends act." Link replied, shrugging. "I'm trying to keep from doing it until we're better friends, since it makes him uncomfortable."<br>Chilta chuckled, wrapping Link in a hug. "You're a good friend to him, little pal."  
>"I hope he feels the same way." Link said, pulling away from the tall picori after a moment. "Let's go get him and see if Melari's finished with my sword."<br>Chilta nodded, stepping in front of Link to lead the way, his long tail wrapping around the Hylian boy's shoulders. "Remember, little pal, _I'm_ always up for physical contact, if you need to get some hugs out of your system."  
>Link blushed brightly, ducking away from Chilta's tail and stepping beside the taller boy. "Heheh, I'll keep that in mind..."<p>

Vaati stood when he noticed the Hylian boy and mountain picori approaching, absently rubbing his backside; sitting on the hard stone wasn't comfortable in the least.  
>"Let's go, Vaati." Link smiled, waving the picori boy over. "We're gonna see if Melari's done with my sword yet."<br>Vaati nodded, quick to join Link and Chilta as they walked.  
>When the trio reached Melari's forge once again, they found the picori smith seated near the anvil, holding Link's sword in one massive hand. "I hope my apprentices were able to provide some information."<br>"They were really helpful." Link replied. "And you were, as well, Melari. Thank you for tempering my sword."  
>Melari shook his head, holding the blade out to the Hylian boy. "It was my pleasure. It's not often that I get to work on a human weapon; I usually just repair broken pickaxes."<br>Link took the sword, smiling and returning it to the scabbard on his back. "It was nice seeing you again." He said. "We have to get going, though. We can't lose the trail."  
>"Of course." Melari chuckled. "Safe journey, my friends."<br>Link took the lead on the way back out of the mines, the picori boys following behind him. As the three of them stepped out into the light, the Hylian boy smiled, drawing his blade and raising it to the sky. "This is it!" He declared. "The beginning of a brand new adventure!"  
>Vaati thought the young hero was being an idiot, but still, he couldn't keep from giggling softly.<p>

As soon as the trio entered the Cave of Flames, the stench of death assaulted them. Chilta, thankfully, was somewhat prepared, producing three strips of cloth from his rucksack and handing them to Link, the Hylian dunking them into a glass bottle of red liquid before passing one to each picori boy.  
>The three of them wrang out their cloths before tying them on, the fruity scent of the potion a welcome change from the smell of rotting flesh.<br>"Alright, it's safe to say something's going on here." Link stated. "Let's take care of it as fast as we can."  
>Vaati nodded, his eyes narrowing as he drew his sword. "Be on your guard. There's no telling what's going to jump out at us."<br>"Chilta, we'll stay up front." Link said, starting toward the door across the room, Vaati beside him. "You stay a couple of steps back, make sure nothing sneaks up behind us."  
>"Got it." Chilta replied, taking his place behind the Hylian boy and the ex-sorcerer.<br>Link eased the wooden door open, a bone immediately flying through the doorway and hitting him squarely between the eyes. The young hero let out a yelp, taking cover and rubbing the sore spot; it would definitely be bruised before long. "What are stalfos doing here?"  
>"I can handle 'em." Chilta stated. "Just stand back, <em>I'll<em> stay up front."  
>Link rolled his eyes, gesturing toward the door. "Be my guest."<br>Chilta stepped into the room, ducking under a pair of flying bones and tucking into a roll. One of the stalfos was suddenly on the floor as its legs were kicked out from under it, the other sent reeling by an uppercut as Chilta sprang to his feet. The two skeletal monsters were quickly dispatched, one with a hard stomp, the other with a punch that shattered its brittle skull.  
>The mountain picori was too busy dealing with the stalfos to notice the pig-like creature that had been hiding in the corner of the room. The moblin lunged for him, spear ready to skewer the tall picori, only for a pair of blades to stab into its back. It gave a surprised squeal before dropping to the floor, dead.<br>Link took a look around before nodding. "Looks like the room's clear now."  
>Chilta chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks for the save, guys."<br>"We're friends." Vaati replied. "It's our job to save each other from the wrath of a future ham sandwich."  
>Link turned, staring at the pale picori. "... Thank you, Vaati. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat ham again."<br>"It was funny and you know it." Vaati replied, sticking his tongue out.  
><em>Cute little picori.<em> Link thought, turning away from Vaati as soon as he realized what had just gone through his mind. _Cute? Vaati is _not _cute. Well, okay, he's cute. Adorable, even. But I shouldn't think he is!  
><em>Vaati tilted his head, confused. "Link? Is something wrong?"  
>"N-no, I'm just..." Link shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we visit the forest picori once we're done down in the Castor Wilds?"<br>"No!" Vaati cried, shaking slightly as he lowered his voice. "I-I mean, no, I can't go there."  
>Link turned back to Vaati, concerned. "Why not?"<br>"I can't talk about it, not with..." The picori boy's gaze flitted to Chilta for a brief moment before returning to Link.  
>Link nodded. "Alright. Chilta, do you think you could wait back in the other room for a minute?"<br>"Yeah, sure. Just come get me when it's time to move on." Chilta replied, whistling the mountain picori mining song as he headed back through the door, shutting it behind himself.  
>Once Chilta had left, Link sheathed his sword and sat down on the ground. "Okay, Vaati, what's up?"<br>"It's Ezlo." Vaati murmured. "He's dead..."  
>The information shocked Link, but not nearly as much as having Vaati suddenly on top of him, clinging to him, sobbing into his tunic.<br>"I went to visit him," the little picori managed between sobs, "and he was dead! One of the forest picori found me there, and now they all think I killed him! Why do you think I've been living in an old rabbit burrow, and barely eating anything? I'm lucky if I can go out without someone spotting me and trying to kill me!"  
>Link held Vaati tightly, brushing his hand through the other boy's hair. "When did it happen?"<br>"A couple of months after our fight..." Vaati replied, his voice muffled by Link's tunic. "I tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen to me! They think I used some kind of spell to kill him and make it look natural!"  
>"Vaati. Look at me."<br>The ex-sorcerer looked up, tears still streaming down his face, being absorbed by the cloth tied over his muzzle. "W-what? Goddesses, I must look horrible..." He murmured.  
>Link smiled. "I promise you, Vaati, that I will be right there with you. If necessary, we will knock out every forest picori in that village to get to the Deepwood Shrine and make sure everything is alright there. And once we know everything is okay, I'll never ask you to go back there."<br>"So much for not being able to say what you mean..." Vaati murmured, wiping his eyes. "Okay, I'll go there with you..."  
>Link squeezed Vaati gently before letting the picori boy go. "Good. It wouldn't be the same without you." He said. "And by the way, you could never look horrible. You're a beautiful person." <em>Goddesses, where did that come from!<br>_Vaati stood, suddenly very thankful for the red-stained cloth over his muzzle; it hid his blush quite well. "Um... thank you..."  
>Link scrambled to his feet. "Vaati, i-if that sounded-"<br>"No no no, it's fine!" Vaati insisted, giggling softly. "It was... very nice of you to say that..."  
>Link couldn't exactly figure out why, but Vaati's response made his heart flutter. "We should, uh, get Chilta and continue on. We're losing daylight." The young hero said, turning toward the door.<br>"Right." Vaati replied, smiling. "And Link?"  
>Link glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?"<br>"Thank you for... being the kind of friend you are. I really needed to let that out, and..."  
>"And a 'normal' male friend wouldn't've let you cry on him?" Link laughed.<br>Vaati nodded, but said nothing, only picking up his sword and returning it to its scabbard; the two of them had shared a moment, and the picori boy knew that it had brought them closer. He wondered just how many it would take before he would be comfortable with Link's arms around him.

When Link and Vaati returned to the entrance to the Cave of Flames, the two boys found Chilta keeping himself prepared for the trip through the cave, the mountain picori throwing punches and kicks at the open air.  
>Link cupped his hands around his mouth, calling to the tall picori. "Hyrule calling Chilta, come in Chilta. You are needed in a quest to save the world."<br>"Oh, hey, you guys done talkin'?" Chilta asked, spinning to face the two smaller males. "Didn't take all that long. Are we ready to get movin'?"  
>Link nodded, glancing at Vaati. "Yeah. It's time to find out what's going on here."<br>"Let's roll, then!" Chilta grinned. "Come on, we've got stalfos to smash and a kingdom to save!"  
>Vaati giggled, rolling his eyes and deciding to join in. "Come, fellow heroes, we must not tarry! The fate of Hyrule rests on our shoulders!"<br>"To adventure!" Link added. "And glory!"


	7. Chapter 7

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>First kiss!<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Shall we continue?**

* * *

><p>The trip through the Cave of Flames was agonizingly slow, due only in part to the large amount of monsters that infested the old mine. The trio of heroes were forced to stop for several hours to allow Chilta to recover after the mountain picori had gotten himself injured in a battle with a group of archer moblins, catching two arrows in his shoulder. Link's spare potion would speed up the healing process, but couldn't make it instantaneous, so the Hylian boy and ex-sorcerer were forced to set up a makeshift camp in a small room on the second floor of the mines.<br>"Way to make an ass of yourself in front of Link, Chilta..." The mountain picori muttered to himself, binding up his wound with some of the cloth he'd brought along. "Probably ruined your chances..."  
>Link blinked, looking over to the taller boy. "Did you say something, Chilta?"<br>Chilta shook his head. "Nah, nothin', little pal."  
>Link shrugged, turning to Vaati. "We're getting pretty close."<br>"W-what?" Vaati squeaked, blushing. "What do you mean?"  
>"To the last room." Link clarified. "What did you think I meant?"<br>"Um, nothing..." Vaati replied, looking away.  
>Link chuckled, scooting closer to the picori. "Come on, Vaati. Tell me."<br>"I..." Vaati paused, shaking his head. "Don't make me say it, I feel like a fool..."  
>"Trust me, you couldn't be more of a fool than me if you tried." Link replied, grinning.<br>Vaati giggled quietly, rolling his eyes. "Alright. I thought you meant... _we_ were getting close."  
>Link chuckled, nudging the pale picori. "I wouldn't say <em>close<em>, but we _are_ getting to know each other a little more, becoming better friends."  
>"Yeah. We are." Vaati responded, quiet. <em>Maybe, with the way things are going, he wants us to be more than friends...? I... I could get used to the idea, I guess. He <em>is_ really nice... and handsome...  
><em>Link stood up, stretching and heading toward the door. "Vaati, do you think you could stay with Chilta for a bit? I'm going to go make sure there isn't a mob of monsters assembling to kill us all."  
>"O-of course." Vaati nodded. "I'll keep him company until you get back."<br>Link drew his blade, slipping out of the room, the door closing behind him.  
>Vaati watched the young hero leave, jumping when Chilta dropped down beside him; he hadn't even seen the taller picori approach.<br>Chilta pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his arms across them. "Hey, little pal."  
>"Uh... hi." Vaati murmured.<br>"Listen, I wanted to apologize for earlier." Chilta said, looking down, his blonde hair flopping over his eyes. "If I had known you weren't into physical contact..."  
>Vaati shook his head. "It's okay. Apology accepted. No need to make a big deal out of it."<br>"That was easy." Chilta chuckled. "I was expecting to jump through a few hoops."  
>Vaati giggled softly, rolling his eyes. "You're injured, jumping through hoops could make things worse."<br>"Oh, you're a funny one." Chilta grinned, brushing his hair back. "Now that that's out of the way, I've gotta ask. What's going on with you and Link?"  
>Vaati shrugged. "I don't really know, to be honest. He says he wants to be friends, but the way he acts..."<br>"Makes you think he wants more?" Chilta asked. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but our Hylian pal is going to be _mine_. Nothing you can do can change that."  
>Vaati growled, getting up. He knew he shouldn't let the taller picori get to him, but the thought of him <em>claiming<em> Link as his own just made the pale boy furious. "That's not your call." He hissed. "It's his."  
>"Is that jealousy I hear?" Chilta smirked, looking up at Vaati. "Maybe <em>you're<em> the one that has feelings for _him_."  
>"Maybe I do have feelings for him!" Vaati snapped. "So what!"<br>Chilta stood, offering a hand to the smaller boy. "How about a little agreement? Whoever Link chooses gets to be happy with him, the loser can't try to break them up."  
>Vaati growled, taking Chilta's hand, gripping it harder than he thought he could. "Fine by me." <em>What am I getting myself into!<br>_"No sabotage." Chilta added. "And may the best picori win."  
>"Don't worry." Vaati replied, releasing Chilta's hand. "I will."<em> Dear mouth, please see me before ever functioning again. Sincerely, brain.<em>

_I really need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut._ Link thought, peeking out from behind a rock at the gathered moblins. There were half a dozen of them, as well as a towering, armored figure with its back to Link; a darknut, the quite dangerous bipedal canine with the strange name.  
>"Master will reward us handsomely for this." The darknut boomed. "When he has control of Hyrule, we will have anything we have ever dreamed of!"<br>"What about the princess?"  
>"I want the princess!"<br>"No way, she's mine!"  
>A gauntlet-clad fist slammed down on a nearby rock, cracking it in half. "Silence! The princess belongs to the Master! She is instrumental to his plans! If it is maidens you desire, you will have to settle for one of the girls from Hyrule Town." The darknut hoisted a sword - Link noticed, with a small amount of fear, that the blade was about as large as <em>he<em> was - and made its way out of the room, leaving the moblins to their own devices.  
>Deciding that six against one was a fight he would probably lose, Link crept back toward the room that he and his picori companions set up camp in, hoping that Chilta had healed enough to help deal with the moblin group.<p>

"Honestly, little pal, I'm fine." Chilta insisted, glancing down at the bloody cloth wrapped around his arm. "I'll just avoid using that arm for a while."  
>"Well... alright." Link replied. "Let's go see if we can deal with those moblins. But I don't want you pushing yourself and getting injured." He turned to the smaller picori. "The same goes for you, Vaati."<br>Vaati nodded. "You don't have to worry about me, Link. Chilta's the one that's already gotten injured once. Maybe we should take care of the moblins and let him take it easy for a little longer."  
>"Maybe." Link answered, glancing at Chilta. "You'll need your strength if you're going to help us take on the darknut."<br>Chilta blinked. "The huh?"  
>"Darknut." Link repeated. "Big, armored guy with a sword as big as I am. He won't be happy to see us, and we'll probably have to face him right after the moblin mob."<br>"Are you sure there's only one?" Vaati asked.  
>Link shrugged. "The only times I've faced them, they've been alone, but there may be more this time..."<br>"Fifty rupees says there's one for each of us." Chilta grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy mine."  
>Link chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You don't <em>have<em> fifty rupees, Chilta."  
>"I'll bet a Kinstone piece, then." Chilta replied. "I've got a few of those."<br>Vaati stepped forward, offering a hand. "I'll take that bet."  
>Chilta shook Vaati's hand, glancing at Link. "What do you say, little pal? Fuse with the winner?"<br>Link nodded. "Sure."  
>Chilta grinned, pulling Vaati forward, leaning down to whisper to the smaller picori. "When I win, after I fuse Kinstones with Link... I'm gonna kiss him."<br>Vaati growled, pulling away, shocking both Chilta and Link as his open palm met the mountain picori's face. "Like hell you are!" The pale boy shouted, spinning on his heel and drawing his sword before kicking the door open and storming out, planning to find out just how many darknuts were waiting for them as soon as possible.  
>Link hurried after Vaati, sparing a glance back at the mountain picori behind him. "What in Nayru's name did you say to him!"<br>"I was just joking." Chilta replied. "I didn't think he'd take it so seriously." _Vaati's definitely not just crushing on our little Hylian pal..._

The Hylian boy and mountain picori found Vaati panting heavily, gripping his blood-drenched sword in both hands, four mutilated moblin corpses around him. He was glaring at the door on the other side of the room; Link knew that his glare alone would've caused the door to explode, if the picori boy still had his powers.  
>"Vaati, where are the other moblins...?" The young hero asked.<br>Vaati turned to face them, slowly relaxing. "I let them run." He replied. When his eyes focused on Chilta, he snarled. "You!"  
>Chilta yelped, stepping back and holding his hands up. "Easy, it was a joke! I-I'm not actually gonna do it!"<br>"Do what?" Link asked, glancing between the two picori, obviously confused.  
>Vaati pointed his blade at Chilta. "He said he was going to-" He stopped, taking a deep, shuddering breath and shaking his head. "... Nothing, never mind."<br>Link sighed, rubbing his head, suddenly feeling like he was babysitting. "Maybe all three of us need to sit down and talk. Otherwise, _I'm_ gonna be confused, and _you two_ will keep doing this..."  
>"It was a stupid joke, that's all." Chilta said. "This is my fault."<br>"You're damn right it is!" Vaati snapped, turning to Link. "He said he was going to kiss you!" He blurted out, immediately dropping his sword and covering his muzzle with both hands. _Why have you betrayed me again, mouth_!_? Why_!_?  
><em>Link's eyes widened, the Hylian boy staring at Chilta for a moment, his mind briefly working in overdrive before it suddenly shut down, his body hitting the floor.  
>"Great, now he's unconscious!" Vaati yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Chilta. "I hope you're happy!"<br>"_Me_?" Chilta scowled. "_You_ made him faint. You're the one that can't keep his tongue under control."  
>Vaati snatched up his sword, shoving it back into its scabbard and hoisting Link's legs. "Shut up and help me get him back to the other room..."<br>"What about the darknut?" Chilta asked, slipping his arms under Link's and lifting the boy easily. "And the other moblins?"  
>"If they come anywhere near me <em>or<em> Link, I will rip their eyeballs out and shove them so far up their-"  
>"Sorry I asked." The mountain picori said, cutting the enraged ex-sorcerer off.<br>Together, the two picori boys transported the unconscious Hylian back to their makeshift camp.

Link awoke a few hours later, dazed. Groaning quietly, the Hylian boy sat up, rubbing his head. _This just isn't my day..._ He thought, slowly getting to his feet, looking around, spotting Chilta and Vaati on opposite sides of the room. From that distance, it was hard for him to read Chilta, but the smaller picori was obviously fuming. Link waited a moment for his head to clear completely, then approached Vaati. "Think you could help me understand what's going on?"  
>Vaati gave a surprised - and, in Link's opinion, rather cute - squeal as he was spooked out of his thoughts. "Don't do that! Goddesses, I nearly jumped out of my skin..."<br>"Sorry." Link murmured. "So, what's going on here? Why did you get so crazy when Chilta said he wanted to kiss me?"  
>Vaati sighed, rubbing his temples. "Because I'm an idiot that doesn't know how to take a joke."<br>"You're not an idiot." Link said, sitting down next to the pale picori. "But why would you care who I kiss?"  
>"Because, the way he said it..." Vaati shrugged. "I don't know, I guess... I guess it just sounded like he'd do it without even asking you first."<br>Link nodded. "I suppose I'd get that way, too, if someone told me they planned to steal _my_ friend's first kiss."  
>Vaati's eyes widened. "Wait, f-first kiss?"<br>"Yeah, I've never kissed anyone before." Link responded, shrugging. "First I was too busy running errands for my uncle, then that thing with the Wishing Cap happened, then I had to take over as blacksmith... I just never had time to kiss anyone. Or the desire to, to be honest."  
>Vaati was quiet for a long moment. "What about the princess?" He finally asked, looking away. "Wouldn't you want to kiss <em>her<em>?"  
>"Not a chance." Link grimaced. "I've known her since we were little kids, she's practically my sister."<br>_Might as well ask._ Vaati thought. "Is there anyone you _do_ want to kiss?"  
>"I haven't really thought about." Link replied. "But, now that you've got me thinking, there might be."<br>Vaati turned back to Link, seeing the young hero without the cloth obscuring his face for the first time in what felt like ages. The Hylian boy's hands reached for his muzzle, and the picori allowed his own cloth to be moved so their lips could meet in a quick, chaste kiss.  
>Chilta watched the scene unfold, unable to keep from smiling. <em>You tried to get Link and drove him right to Vaati. Well, he did say he'd be the one to win the little dude. Could be another hero out there for you, Chilta, you just have to open your eyes and look for him.<em> "If you two lovebirds are done, we've got a darknut to fight." He reminded them, getting up. "I'm healed up enough to take it on, if you guys wanna keep being all romantic and stuff."  
>"Thank you, Chilta, for killing the moment." Link chuckled, hopping to his feet. "Alright, let's go."<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Sack attack. Ow.<br>Cuddling.**

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Shall we get back to it? Come, I'll tell you more.**

* * *

><p>A flaming arrow whizzed past Link's head as the trio approached the massive door to the final room, narrowly missing the Hylian boy. "I guess they're not afraid of Vaati anymore." He muttered, drawing his sword.<br>Vaati smirked, spinning his own blade between his fingers, almost too fast to see. "They're still afraid of me." The picori boy stated. "Why else would they be avoiding close combat?" Sprinting forward, the pale boy quickly closed the distance, spinning and flipping to avoid the arrows sailing at him. A quick swipe with his blade took one moblin's hands off at the wrists, leaving it defenseless against the ex-sorcerer's blade assault.  
>Link almost wished he didn't have his own moblin to deal with; Vaati's sword skills seemed to be on par with his own, and he would have greatly enjoyed watching the picori display them. Making a mental note to train with Vaati at some point in the future, he focused his attention on the moblin in front of him, the creature having thrown its bow aside and drawn a long, curved blade. Not giving the monster any time to attack, the Hylian boy delivered a crippling strike to its ribs with the pommel of his blade, rolling over its back and cleanly cleaving it in half from behind.<br>Neither boy noticed the large doors opening until it was too late to react. The darknut swung at Vaati, the picori barely managing to roll out of the way.  
>"Hey, tail-chewer!" Chilta called, stepping forward. "Leave 'em alone and deal with <em>me<em>!"  
>The darknut was on him in seconds, its massive blade missing the mountain picori by miles as he nimbly danced out of the way of its strikes.<br>Chilta couldn't keep from smirking; he felt like he could keep dodging the creature's attacks all day. "I'm sorry, am I too fast for you? Here, let me slow down..."  
>The darknut roared, raising its blade high above its head, bringing it down in a mighty swing that could easily slice the wiry picori boy in half, only for both of the mountain picori's fists to impact the sword, the blade snapping.<br>Chilta burst out laughing, rolling out of range before turning to Link and Vaati. "Did you guys _see_ that!_?_"  
>The other boys didn't get the chance to answer before a gauntleted fist slammed into Chilta's side, the picori coughing and dropping to his knees. The darknut raised its fist, preparing to finish him off. Faced with death, the mountain picori did the first thing that came to mind; he put all of his strength into a punch right between the darknut's legs.<br>Everything was still at first. Then, slowly, the darknut sank to its knees, cupping its injured privates, a strangled squeak escaping its throat.  
>Chilta growled, staggering to his feet. "Lay down and die..." He panted out, shoving the darknut's head to the floor. With his target in position, the tall picori raised his leg up, holding for a moment before snapping his heel down onto the back of the darknut's helmet, denting the metal and causing a satisfying crunch. "There... He's dead... Mission accomplished..."<br>Link rushed to the mountain picori's side, Vaati right behind him. The Hylian boy produced another bottled potion, handing it to the taller male. "Here, drink."  
>"How did you break its sword?" Vaati asked.<br>Chilta lowered the cloth from his muzzle, gulping down the potion and handing the bottle back to Link. "I have no idea." He admitted, chuckling a little. "I just... pounded the blade as hard as I could."  
>"Like you pounded his man-marbles?" Link grinned. "That was a dirty move, Chilta."<br>"First thing I thought of to do." Chilta replied.  
>Vaati knelt down to examine the remains of the darknut, removing a pouch from its belt and opening it. "Hey, there's some kind of powder in here. Looks like... gold dust?"<br>Link looked over Vaati's shoulder, nodding. "Yeah, that's definitely gold dust."  
>Vaati tied the pouch back up, handing it to Chilta. "You killed it, you earned the spoils."<br>"Thanks, little pal." Chilta grinned, storing the pouch in his rucksack and offering Vaati a small, golden object. "And you earned _this_. You won our bet."  
>Vaati stared at the small, glittering thing; a golden Kinstone piece. "Chilta, how do <em>you<em> have a _gold_ Kinstone piece...?"  
>"I dug it up." Chilta answered, shrugging. "I'm pretty lucky when it comes to digging up Kinstones."<br>"I, uh... don't have any gold Kinstone pieces, guys." Link said, giving the two picori a sheepish smile. "I used all of mine during that little incident with the Wishing Cap."  
>Vaati pocketed the Kinstone piece, turning to Link. "We'll just have to find some, then. We're already on a grand adventure, some might end up just falling in our laps, right?"<br>Link chuckled, nodding. "Yeah. We'll find the matching piece, then we'll be able to fuse them."  
>"Until then, let's see what that last room holds, shall we?" Vaati grinned, taking the lead and heading into the final room, Link and Chilta close behind.<p>

"Dude hit me right in my damn kidney..." Chilta griped as the trio began searching the room. "Who hits someone in the kidneys? Honestly, couldn't he go for the face or something?"  
>"Well, <em>you<em> hit him in the groin." Link reminded the mountain picori.  
>Chilta shrugged. "Yeah, you've got me there." He replied, flipping over pots to check their contents, finding only a couple of rupees for his trouble. "Besides, if he'd hit me in the face, he might've messed up my smoldering good looks. Hey, if there's nothing up here, are we gonna check down that big hole?"<br>Link stopped, turning to look down the hole in the center of the room; without Gleerok or the lava down at the bottom, it was pitch black. "We might have to, but it's too dark to see, and I left the lantern back at home."  
>"Before we go to the Castor Wilds, we oughta go pick up all the stuff you left there." Chilta said. "While we're there, I need to use the forge. I've got an idea what to do with this gold dust, and I don't wanna impose on Melari."<br>Vaati moved over to the hole, sitting on the edge. "I'm going to take a look down there." He stated, sliding in, his paws catching the ceiling and holding the picori boy upside-down. "Hey, there's Keese in here."  
>"Hurry up and kill them, then." Link replied. "Before they start biting you."<br>Vaati rolled his eyes. "They're harmless. In fact, I think they like me."  
>"Anything else down there?" Chilta asked, peering over the edge. <em>Goddesses, I can't see a damn thing. How can Vaati see down there?<br>_Vaati flipped down from the ceiling, landing in a crouch and beginning his search. After a few moments, he called up to the other boys. "It's just like Melari's apprentice said! There's some kind of device here! I'll see if I can destroy it on my own."  
>The other boys couldn't see what was going on, but they could certainly hear Vaati's blade slicing, repeatedly, through the metal device. Eventually, the ex-sorcerer climbed back up through the hole, dusting himself off as he stood.<br>"Nice going, Vaati." Link grinned. "Now we can get out of here and continue on our journey."  
>"And I can start seeing new parts of Hyrule." Chilta added.<br>Vaati nodded, smiling. "Let's go, guys. First to Link's house, then the Castor Wilds, and wherever our quest takes us from there..."  
>The trio began their trek back through the old mines, glad to be leaving the disgusting smell behind.<p>

It was well past sundown when the boys left the mines. Darkness stretched across Hyrule, and the denizens of the kingdom had most likely returned to their homes to sleep. Climbing down the mountain would be next to impossible until morning. "Looks like we have to set up camp for real this time, guys." Link stated. "Not that it's going to be a good camp, without anything to keep us warm."  
>"... Stay right here, guys." Chilta grinned, rushing back into the Cave of Flames. "I've got an idea!"<br>Link and Vaati exchanged confused looks, but neither could think of anything to say on the matter. A few moments later, a large brazier was pushed out of the mines, already lit.  
>Chilta raised his hands. "Please, please, hold your applause until the end of our show."<br>"There's _more_?" Vaati asked.  
>Chilta nodded, but didn't respond, simply digging into his pack and producing half a dozen unlit torches. "I took these out of the mines. Am I awesome? Yes, I am." Lighting the torches in the brazier, the mountain picori began setting them up to mark the perimeter of their camp.<br>"You definitely _are _awesome, Chilta." Link chuckled, sitting down near the brazier. "Come on, let's get some rest. In the morning, we'll take a detour through Hyrule Town on the way to my house and get some breakfast."  
>"Think you'll be too hungry to cook?" Vaati asked, giggling.<br>Chilta raised an eyebrow. "You, cook? What are you, a jack of all trades?"  
>"I guess you could say that, yeah." Link replied, shrugging. "Swordsman, chef, blacksmith... and I play the ocarina pretty well, too, so you can probably add musician to the list."<br>"I bet you can't dance, though." Chilta smirked, lying down in the dirt, keeping his paws close to one of the torches for warmth.  
>Link rolled his eyes. "If you must know, no, I can't dance." He glanced over at Vaati. "Or hang upside-down."<br>The pale picori blushed, but said nothing; he thought it had been too dark in that room for Link to see what he was doing.  
>Link took Vaati's silence as his cue to shut his mouth and get some rest. His two picori companions seemed to have the same idea, and soon, all three boys were asleep.<p>

The young hero awoke a few hours later, feeling someone watching him. He opened one eye, noticing a pair of familiar paws nearby. "Vaati...?"  
>"I... can't get warm..." The pale boy whispered. "Do you think I could... curl up with you? Maybe?" He added softly.<br>Link looked up at the picori; even in the darkness, he could see the bright blush on the boy's face. He didn't bother thinking it over, offering Vaati a smile. "Sure."  
>Vaati was at Link's side before the Hylian boy knew it, snuggling close, his head resting on the hero's chest. "Thank you, Link."<br>"Anytime." Link replied, chuckling softly. "Think you'll be warm enough to sleep now? We have to set out early." The Hylian waited for an answer, but none came. "I guess so." He murmured. "Pleasant dreams, Vaati." He couldn't help but notice, as he looked down at Vaati's sleeping face, that the picori boy was strangely beautiful.


	9. Chapter 9

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
><strong>**Headcrab tektite  
>Vaati being awesome <strong>

**For disclaimer, see chapter one.**

**Welcome back, friends. Sit for a while, I'll continue from where I left off last time...**

* * *

><p>Link awoke at sunrise, without the weight of Vaati's head on his chest. As the young hero sat up, he spotted the ex-sorcerer assisting Chilta in gathering up the torches, the two picori boys chatting quietly. <em>Looks like they're becoming friends.<br>_"-slept pretty well, didn't you?" Chilta was saying, chuckling a little as he shoved the torches into his pack.  
>A hint of pink colored Vaati's cheeks. "Yes, I did."<br>"Nice excuse. 'I can't get warm'?" The mountain picori grinned.  
>Vaati gave the taller boy a playful shove. "Hey, I'm used to warmer clothing and sleeping somewhere that can be called 'inside'. I <em>was<em> having trouble getting warm."  
>"Oh, right, you're one of those forest picori that wear those heavy leaves, aren't you?" Chilta asked. "I keep forgetting that not everybody is used to this kind of thing."<br>Vaati nodded, shivering a little. "Yes. Being uncovered above the waist is taking some getting used to."  
>"I think I have a red tunic at home somewhere, if you want it." Link offered, moving beside Vaati and wrapping an arm around the pale boy's shoulders.<br>Vaati squeaked, stiffening up until he realized it was his Hylian friend. "I don't want to be too much trouble."  
>"Don't worry about it." Link smiled. "It's yours, if it fits."<br>Vaati leaned his head on Link's shoulder for a moment before pulling away, grabbing his sword. "Alright. Thank you." He turned back to the Hylian and mountain picori, nodding. "Let's continue on. Perhaps we'll see some of the town picori on our way back to Link's home."  
>Chilta swung his pack over one shoulder. "You mean you guys didn't see any on the way here?"<br>Link shook his head. "No, and I can't help but wonder why..."  
>"Picori tend to get up hours before humans do." Vaati explained. "They probably noticed their change in size and moved to another area before anyone in Hyrule Town woke up."<br>"Hey, maybe they moved to the northern portion of Hyrule Field!" Link grinned. "We'll see them when we finally make a trip to the castle!"  
>Somehow, Vaati didn't think that was such a bad plan anymore. Even if he wasn't welcome at the castle, he was part of a powerful trio, and he knew that his friends would defend him if things went badly.<br>"Come on, guys." Link said, drawing his sword. "We've got a trip down the mountain to make. Stay ready; the monsters aren't going to leave us alone just because we're trying to leave." The young hero started the journey down, the beautiful and pale Vaati on his left, the laid-back and surprisingly strong Chilta on his right. _This is already my favorite adventure yet, and it's only ju-_ A tektite latching onto his head startled the Hylian boy before he could finish his thought. With his picori companions too busy laughing to help him, he had to wrench the monster off of his head on his own. As he hurled the tektite as hard as he could over the nearest cliff, he decided that the day could probably only get better.  
>"Are you okay?" Vaati managed, before falling into a fit of giggles again.<br>Link scowled at the pale boy. "It wasn't that funny."  
>"You're okay, and that thing was hanging on like it would die if it let go." Chilta pointed out, barely more composed than the smaller picori had been. "We're allowed to laugh."<br>"Alright, I guess it was pretty funny..." Link admitted, chuckling. "Okay, let's go, guys. You can laugh at my misfortune and walk at the same time." _Tektites after my brains. Well, at least that's somewhat normal._

Other than the incident with the tektite, the trip down the mountain was uneventful. The trio had taken the short way down, and it took a little less time to climb down the rock walls than it had taken to climb up them. Once the boys left the base of Mount Crenel behind them, they took their time, enjoying the walk to Hyrule Town.  
>Until they noticed the smoke coming from the south.<br>Chilta, with his long legs, was the first to arrive at the scene; Link's house was burning. The mountain picori stopped so suddenly that the Hylian boy nearly slammed into his back. "Uh... is that your place, little pal?"  
>Link, too stunned to form words, only nodded in response.<br>Vaati stared. It was all he _could_ do. He briefly wondered what would have happened if he hadn't met Link at the river the day before. _Would Link be... in there...?_ Shaking the thought from his head, he stepped in front of the other boys, taking a deep breath. _Goddesses... I know I don't deserve your help, not after what I did last year... but, please, let there still be enough of the Wishing Cap's magic in me to save Link's home!_ Focusing, he tried to locate any small amount of magic left over inside him. After a moment, he smiled; it wasn't much, but it was something, and perhaps it would be enough. Feeling the magic inside him, he channeled it into his arms, his hands, his fingertips. As he weaved the spell in the air, he called out in the ancient Hylian tongue, commanding the wind itself.  
>The wind answered. A powerful gale blew toward the house, swirling around it, seeming to lash out at the fire from all sides until, finally, it was out.<br>The sorcerer turned to the other boys as the wind died down, smiling, directing a comment at Chilta. "_I'm_ awesome." Then, darkness claimed him. The last thing he felt was warmth around him; a pair of arms were holding him, keeping him from falling. _Link..._


	10. Chapter 10

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Kissing<br>Weapon porn  
><strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Come in, come in! It's story time again.**

* * *

><p>For the first few minutes after Vaati awoke, things were quite blurry, but he could easily identify Chilta by the mountain picori's height. The taller boy was standing at the edge of the bed that the forest picori had been laid in. "Hey, little pal." Chilta smiled. "You gave us a bit of a scare earlier. Feelin' alright?"<br>Vaati struggled to sit up, his entire body feeling like liquid. "Not in the slightest..." He groaned. "What happened?"  
>"You don't remember? You started talkin' weird, then this huge wind kicked up and put out the fire." Chilta explained.<br>"But I can't do magic anymore." Vaati murmured, searching for the magic within his body again. There was a strange, somewhat familiar warmth in his chest, a small amount of magic left over after his spell. "... I _can_...?"  
>Chilta chuckled, nodding. "Seems like it. That was pretty impressive, little pal."<br>"Where's Link?" The smaller picori asked, looking around, his vision beginning to clear.  
>Chilta gestured toward the stairs. "Downstairs, cooking. He didn't want to leave the house with you out cold, and since he figured you'd be hungry when you woke up, he asked me to watch over you while he cooked. He's probably just about done by now. Just stay right there, I'll go let him know you're awake."<br>Vaati nodded, watching as Chilta made his way down the stairs. _I used it all..._ The picori thought. _I used more than I had, yet some of it is still there... How?_

Chilta couldn't help it; he had laughed when he arrived downstairs. It was impossible for him not to; there was a feast on the table, and Link was still cooking up a storm. "Hey, housewife, where's your apron?" The mountain picori snickered, ducking a flying loaf of bread. "Whoa, touchy!"  
>"How's Vaati?" Link asked, as if he didn't even notice the comment or the bread he'd thrown at the other boy.<br>Chilta grinned. "Little dude's awake, actually. Seemed pretty surprised that he's still able to do magic."  
>"Great!" Link smiled. "I'll go up and see if he needs a hand getting down the stairs."<br>Before Chilta could react, the Hylian boy was past him and on his way up the stairs. "Um... 'kay. I'll just... y'know, wait here."

When Link reached the top of the stairs, a pair of pale arms wrapped around him, pulling him forward. His lips met Vaati's, the picori boy giggling as he let the young hero go. Link simply stared at him, stunned.  
>"Sorry." Vaati said, blushing and giving Link a small smile. "I'm just happy..."<br>"I can imagine." Link replied. "Getting your magic back, after all this time, seems like cause for celebration." He flashed Vaati a grin. "Come on, skinny, let's get some food in you."  
>Vaati rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna stop calling me skinny until I'm as heavy as a goron, are you?"<br>"It's either that, or call you adorable." Link answered casually, starting back down the stairs; he didn't even have to look at Vaati to know that the picori boy's face had turned a nice shade of red. _Kiss me by surprise and I make you blush like a maiden on her wedding day, Vaati._

After a meal - during which Link learned that Vaati wasn't the only picori boy with bad table manners - the trio prepared to set off for the Castor Wilds by way of the Trilby Highlands and Western Wood.  
>Vaati smiled, adjusting the sleeveless red tunic he wore, glad that he'd managed to find it; it felt odd, having his upper body exposed to the open air. The interior, lined with linking rings of lightweight metal, was cool against the pale picori's skin, but he knew it would warm up after being worn for a while. He couldn't keep from giggling as he watched Link pack his assorted items into a rucksack; the picori had no idea how the hero of Hyrule even got so many things, let alone how he was managing to make them all fit.<p>

Chilta was diligently hammering away at the hero of Hyrule's blade in the smith's forge, humming to himself as he sprinkled a handful of gold dust over the red-hot metal, then another. _I hope this works like I think it will..._ Nodding to himself, he continued working the weapon, the blade gradually changing shape until it formed a double helix. Satisfied, the mountain picori slid the sword into the water to cool down, then set to work on Vaati's blade.  
>In the end, far more gold dust went into Vaati's weapon than Link's. Chilta decided, wisely, not to alter the shape of the blade as he worked it, simply tempering it and coating it with a layer of gold. It took considerably less time to finish, and as he let the weapon join Link's in the water nearby, he considered what he could do to improve his own weapon.<br>It took a few moments for the mountain picori to figure out what he wanted to do with the last of the gold dust. Grabbing a chunk of iron and a short, thick nail from nearby, he set to work creating a makeshift mold for the spikes he planned to attach to the metal plates on his gloves. Thinking ahead, the tall boy pounded six holes in the iron block, knowing that it would take far too long to make the spikes one at a time.  
>When the mold was finished and the melted gold dust poured into it, Chilta finally allowed himself to relax, leaning heavily against the anvil as he waited for the metal to harden, his arms shaking.<br>Once the spikes hardened, the mountain picori poured the last of the molten gold over them, the mold overflowing. He pressed the metal plates onto the overflowing mold, holding them down until the metal hardened once again, fusing the plates to the spikes. When Chilta pulled the plates back, the spikes came with them, small and slightly rounded at the tips, though they would still work to his advantage in combat. He chipped away the excess gold, then grabbed the two blades from the water and made his way back to the other room.  
>Setting the upgraded weapons on the table, the mountain picori dropped into the nearest chair and waited for his companions to come down.<p>

It took nearly twenty minutes for Link and Vaati to descend the stairs, the Hylian boy wearing a long, white cloak that appeared to be made entirely of feathers and carrying a rather heavy-looking rucksack. "I've got everything." The young hero declared. "Ready to set off, Chilta?"  
>Chilta nodded, getting up and pulling his gloves on. "I've been ready for the past ten minutes. What took you two so long?"<br>"Link had to force everything he owns into that one pack." Vaati answered, picking up his sword. "Wow, you did a nice job with my sword." He smiled, slipping the blade into its scabbard.  
>Chilta grinned. "Just one of my many talents. Like two-fisted face ruining."<br>"This design seems familiar..." Link murmured, lifting his sword. "What compelled you to make it like this?"  
>Chilta thought it over for a moment, then shrugged. "Not sure. The idea came to me while I was adding the gold dust, and I just sorta... went with it."<br>"Well, I hope we find more materials." Link said. "If you can do this with a bag of gold dust, I can't wait to see what you can do with something larger!"  
>Chilta nodded, chuckling a bit. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find something in the Castor Wilds."<br>"Um..."  
>Link barely noticed the small sound Vaati made. It took him a moment to realize what he'd heard, but when he did, he turned to the pale boy. "Is something wrong?"<br>Vaati looked away. "I... No, it's nothing, never mind."  
>"What's on your mind, little pal?" Chilta asked.<br>"You can tell us." Link added, smiling. "What is it?"  
>"Do you think... we could go to the Minish Woods first...?" The sorcerer asked. "If we put it off much longer... I don't know if I'll have the nerve to face the other picori..."<br>Link stole a glance at Chilta, the taller boy nodding. The Hylian returned his attention to Vaati, offering the other boy his hand. "Of course."  
>Vaati's cheeks pinkened as he took the Hylian hero's hand. "Thank you..."<br>Link simply nodded, heading outside, Vaati at his side, the pale picori's slender fingers laced between the young hero's own.  
>Chilta swung his pack over his shoulder, following the two lovebirds. <em>Wonder what Belari's doin'. Maybe he's got some new invention to show off.<em>

Link enjoyed the Minish Woods. The earthy smell of the area, the cool breeze that blew through the trees, and even the fog that drifted in from Lake Hylia in the early morning. The young hero made a mental note to visit the local witch, Syrup, at some point before he and his picori companions left, to stock up on potions. _Maybe I can get her to give me a discount if I run for ingredients.  
><em>Vaati fidgeted nervously at the Hylian boy's side; he enjoyed the Woods, as well, but he definitely did _not_ enjoy the way he knew the inhabitants would treat him. He silently prayed to the goddesses that they wouldn't hurt Link when the attempt to kill him came. As long as Link was safe, the pale picori could take anything the world could throw at him.  
>Chilta had, on occasion, taken a trip down to the Minish Woods to visit Belari. The forest picori, though only a few years older than he was, was already quite a well-known inventor, and always had something new to show Chilta when the Crenel native arrived. The mountain picori had never seen the Woods quite the way he was seeing it with his companions, however; his trips had always taken quite a while, and he never had the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings, always worried that an octorok would step on him, or a chuchu would absorb him into its gelatinous body. As he looked around, in awe, a single thought passed through his mind. <em>Is this the way humans see <em>everything_...?  
><em>Even from a distance, the trio could see the forest picori settlement. Whatever magic had caused the picori themselves to grow had also had an effect on the picori village, and the clovers that surrounded it. Just as Melari's mines had grown while retaining its original shape, the cast-off items that made up the picori village had grown to rival the buildings of Hyrule Town in size, with clovers taller than the trees of the Minish Woods standing on all sides of the village.  
>Looming beyond the picori village was the Deepwood Shrine, where the picori and humans of old had once met.<br>Link gave Vaati's hand a reassuring squeeze as the trio reached the path to the picori village. "It'll be okay." He whispered to the pale boy.  
>Vaati nodded in response; somehow, he believed Link's words. Offering the Hylian a small smile, he allowed himself to be led up the path.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Angry picori<br>F-bomb  
>Public make-out session<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Come along, there's not much time to waste.**

* * *

><p>Picori armed with rocks were <em>not<em> on Link's list of creatures he wanted to pick a fight with, but the Hylian boy and his companions were faced with a mob of them as soon as they passed under the vine-and-clover archways of the picori village. Deciding that diplomacy was the best option, Link stood his ground, calling over the angry shouts of the picori. "Please, we just want to talk to the elder!"  
>"With Vaati at your side!<em>?<em>"  
>"He killed Ezlo!"<br>"He's a menace!"  
>"He's no picori, just a monster!"<br>Link's left hand twitched, his right holding Vaati's a bit tighter. "We're not here to make trouble."  
>"He almost took over Hyrule!"<br>"He tried to kill us all!"  
>"He shouldn't be allowed to live!"<br>_I'll kill you all if you try to act on that._ Link thought, forcing himself to remain calm, for Vaati's sake. "We need to speak to Gentari about checking out the Deepwood Shrine. _Please_, get him for us."  
>"He'll kill Elder Gentari, just like he killed Ezlo!"<br>"We're not letting you near our elder!"  
>"If you're with him, you're just as bad as he is!"<br>"You would judge the hero of Hyrule simply by the company he keeps?" The picori instantly became silent, shock etched on each of their faces. The mob parted, an old picori making his way toward Link. He was dressed in brown cloth robes, a red and gold cap sitting atop his head. One gnarled hand clutched a long metal staff resembling a needle, most likely a replacement for the sewing needle he carried before the size of Hyrule's picori was altered. "I apologize for these men and women, hero." Gentari said. "They have the right idea, but the wrong culprit."  
>For Vaati, the shock seemed to cut him off from reality, the pale boy barely aware of the conversation continuing, his attention almost entirely focused on his own thoughts. <em>Ezlo... <em>did_ die by magic...? Why! Who would kill him_!_? He wouldn't hurt a fly! What kind of monster would do such a thing to a wise old man like him_!_?  
><em>"Why don't you correct them, then?" Link asked, a hint of an accusation in his voice.  
>Gentari sighed heavily. "They will not believe it." The old picori replied. "Without evidence to the contrary, not even the word of their elder can change their minds."<br>"We need to clear Vaati's name." Link stated. "But how are we going to find out whose magic killed him? Vaati told me it was only a couple of months after the incident with the Wishing Cap, I'm sure you've already given Ezlo a funeral by now."  
>"We have, yes." Gentari nodded. "Though I did manage to extract some of the residual magic from his body. I sealed it within a small crystal and left it with Festari."<br>Chilta blinked, confused. "What good will that do?"  
>"It would react..." Vaati breathed, finally returning to reality. "I think a crystal like that would... shine when it gets close to the person that the magic came from..."<br>"Indeed, dear boy." Gentari smiled. "The picori that live here know about the crystal; I would not hide something so important from them. I will get the crystal from Festari and present it to Vaati, in front of everyone. When they see that it does not react, perhaps they will be more willing to accept his innocence."  
>"Then we'll take the crystal and find out who <em>did<em> kill Ezlo." Vaati declared. "And when we find him... I'm going to crush his fucking heart!"  
>Chilta's eyebrows rose; he had no idea his pale little pal had such a mouth on him. "Well, that's not somethin' you hear every day."<br>Gentari ignored Vaati's statement, turning to address the gathered picori. "All of you, put down those stones. Go get your families, make sure no one misses this. We will be giving the crystal to Link's young friend, to assist in the search for Ezlo's killer."  
>The picori mob dispersed, some of them grumbling to themselves as they went to gather their families and friends.<br>Gentari smiled, shaking his head. "I will return soon, hero. Please, wait here."  
>"Of course." Link replied, bowing. "Thank you, Gentari." As the picori elder departed, the Hylian boy allowed himself to relax; Vaati was unharmed, and he hadn't been forced to harm any of the picori to defend him.<p>

Mercifully, the picori elder returned before the crowd did; Link wasn't sure he could put up with more picori slandering Vaati.  
>Gentari produced a small, clear crystal from the sleeve of his robe, some sort of dark energy roiling within it. As he waited for the arrival of the other picori, he examined the crystal. "Ah, excellent. Festari has taken good care of it. No cracks. Who knows what could have happened if the dark magic got out..."<br>"Th-thank you for this." Vaati murmured, smiling. "I was sure you would hate me just as much as the others..."  
>"I have been around far too long to still believe that everything is as it seems, dear boy." Gentari replied. "Ah, it appears that everyone is here." Turning, the old picori spoke to villagers. "I apologize for calling all of you from your homes, but we are here for something quite important, I assure you." He held the crystal up, the little object glittering in the sun. "I trust you all know what this is, and can see that it is <em>not<em> shining, despite being quite close to the boy that you believe killed our dear friend, the sage Ezlo." He glanced over his shoulder at Vaati. "Hold out your hand, boy."  
>Vaati nodded, holding his hand out, the cold crystal pressed into his palm.<br>"You see?" The elder continued. "Even when he holds it, it does not react. The magic within is not his. Young Vaati will be taking the crystal when he leaves with Link and his mountain picori friend. They will locate the man that killed Ezlo, and return the favor."  
>"What if he's working for the one that killed Ezlo!<em>?<em>"  
>Link growled, the question wearing on his last nerve. He made to step forward and give the picori a piece of his mind, only for Vaati's slim arm to thump against his chest.<br>"I loved Ezlo like a father!" The pale boy snarled. "He took me in and taught me to see more than the hatred that _you_ showed me! He was always kind to me, even when no one else was! He never told me I was some freak of nature that deserved to die, just because I was different! I had no reason to kill him! You all ask for proof that I'm innocent!_?_ Well, I ask for proof that I'm guilty!"  
>Vaati's outburst sent a wave of stunned silence through the assembled picori. It seemed to take some of the wind out of their sails.<br>Until a stone flew up, aimed right at Vaati's face.  
>The pale picori's red eyes briefly flashed green, the stone arcing upward, flying over him and off into the distance. The warmth of his magic spread through his body as the wind whipped up around him, heating him until it felt as if he had caught fire. Raising one arm, he pointed directly at the picori that had thrown the stone. He would have cursed him, but Vaati knew in his heart that the evil sorcerer wasn't who he was anymore. Remembering the lesson Link had taught him the year before, he simply shook his head. "I forgive you." He said, the wind dying down. He pocketed the crystal and turned his back on the crowd, finally allowing a smile to spread across his muzzle. <em>Good job, Vaati.<em> He congratulated himself. _Be the better person. Don't become lost in anger again.  
><em>Link stared, eyes wide. Shaking himself after a moment, he decided to move on, to avoid making the situation worse. "Gentari, we'd like to take a look at the Deepwood Shrine, if that's alright with you."  
>"Of... of course, Link." Gentari replied, still getting over the shock of seeing Vaati's magic from so close. "Please, inform me if you find anything out of the ordinary."<br>Link nodded. "We will." Grinning, he turned to Vaati. "But, before we leave..." He reached over, grabbing Vaati's tunic and pulling the pale picori close, for a kiss that was decidedly _not_ chaste. Once he had the picori against him, he released his grip on the other boy's tunic, moving his hands up to run them through Vaati's long hair. Pure desire guiding him, he licked against the pale boy's lips, begging for entrance.  
>Vaati blushed heavily as he felt the Hylian boy's lips against his, the sorcerer wrapping his arms around Link's neck. Hoping the few couples he'd seen kiss were doing it right, he opened his muzzle just a bit, allowing Link's tongue in. The feeling of someone else's tongue in his mouth was strange in the most delightful way. The heat of it, the way it moved, everything about the situation sent a force much stronger than his magic straight to the picori's groin.<br>Chilta rolled his eyes. "Alright, folks, nothin' to see here. Just a couple of lovebirds makin' out. Everybody, back to your homes. G'on, get!"  
>The assembled picori scattered.<br>Chuckling to himself, Gentari slowly made his way back to his home near the far edge of the village. _Teenagers..._


	12. Chapter 12

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
><strong>**Violence and gore  
><strong>**Goddesses**  
><strong>Winged Vaati<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Shall we continue?**

* * *

><p>The Deepwood Shrine had seen better days. The white marble walls were faded and cracking, climbing vines creeping through into the shrine itself. Strange, ugly little flowers bloomed all along the vines. The columns were falling apart, some little more than stumps. Gone was the spinning barrel within the main chamber of the shrine, only broken bits of wood remaining.<br>Vaati, honestly, did not care about the state of the Deepwood Shrine in the least; he was still strolling through fields of pure bliss after the kiss in the picori village.  
>Link smiled, his arm around the pale boy's shoulders. <em>It's good to see him happy...<br>_Chilta hated the shrine. The way the floors seemed sticky, the cobwebs that hung from the ceiling and grabbed at him, and the infernal chittering coming from deep beneath the trio's feet. The mountain picori promised himself that he would stomp the first spider he saw until there was nothing left of it but a memory.  
>Link reluctantly pulled away from Vaati, drawing his sword and making his way down the stairs to the area where the spinning barrel once stood. The Hylian boy knelt down, examining the bits of it that remained; eaten away, almost as if by fire, but without the blackening that that would leave behind. Shaking his head, he slowly stood. "This is just weird."<br>"It looks like some sort of... acid damage." Vaati said. "But that doesn't make any sense."  
>"It's venom from some kind of mutant spider." Chilta stated, dropping into a low stance.<br>Vaati swung around, whipping his sword from its scabbard. "So much for a quiet trip through the shrine."  
>Baby monsters, bearing a single eye and standing nearly two feet tall, were closing in on the trio. Armless, little more than massive eyes atop short legs, they scuttled forward. At first, Link couldn't figure out how they planned to attack, until little blue appendages sprouted from the top of each eye, dripping with venom. "Oh. That's... that's not good at all."<br>"I'm betting there's a big one." Chilta said, lunging forward, a spinning sweep knocking a few of the eye creatures aside. "Quick, this way!"  
>Vaati was right behind Chilta as the mountain picori took off, razor-sharp blades of wind carving away at the ever-increasing number of monsters.<br>Link rushed to catch up to the picori boys, leaving small blue spheres behind as he followed them, the bombs detonating after a few seconds and scattering the monsters that were giving chase.  
>Followed by the horde of monsters, the trio ran further into the shrine.<p>

"Uh-oh, dead end!" Chilta yelped, swinging around. "Guys, we're gonna have to fight 'em!"  
>Link turned, his shield out of his pack in an instant. "I've got an idea." He said, glancing at Vaati. "How much harm do you think they could do without those things on their heads?"<br>Vaati sheathed his blade, raising his arms, tiny tornados dancing on the picori boy's palms. "Not much at all." He replied. "Let's see if I have enough magic for _this_!" The pale boy's arms shook as the tornados compressed, forming into rings of wind that the picori hurled at the charging monsters. Rather than simply slicing the appendages from their heads, the wind rings sucked them up as they flew over the monsters, quickly ripping them away.  
>Taking that as his cue to act, Chilta vaulted over Vaati, his paws catching a pair of the monsters. The mountain picori latched onto them, flipping forward, slamming the creatures into the floor repeatedly. When the monsters finally stopped struggling, the picori hopped up and spread his legs, releasing his grip on the creatures and sending them rocketing into the walls. As he landed on his backside, his legs slamming down on more of the creatures, he began lashing out at the creatures around him with stiff punches and elbow strikes.<br>Link grinned, lunging forward and bringing his shield down on one of the monsters, pushing up and releasing his shield as he hit it, the force sending him into the air. The Hylian boy landed gracefully on his feet in the center of a group of monsters, his sword gripped in both hands. Rather than attack them one at a time, he spun a full circle on his heel, his blade slicing all of them in half at once.  
>Feeling that things had gone on quite long enough, Vaati drew his own sword, rushing down the hall and picking off the remaining monsters with well-placed slashes as he ran. When he reached the end of the hall, he sheathed his weapon, turning to the other boys. "That... wasn't too hard..." The pale picori panted out, smiling.<br>Link chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But I can't help but wonder what these things are."  
>"Gohma's larvae." Chilta said, rolling to his feet. "But they're... not supposed to exist."<br>Link's eyes widened. "Wait, Gohma? The 'parasitic armored arachnid'? The first foe of the Hero of Time, from the fairy tale?"  
>"That's the one." Chilta replied. "And if they're here, then Gohma must be here, too."<br>Link grabbed his shield, shaking the bits of larva off of it before returning it to his pack. "I... sort of forgot how that battle went, to be honest." He admitted. "Do you remember how the Hero of Time killed her?"  
>Chilta shook his head. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard that story since I was just a little kid. I can't even remember the hero's name."<br>"The eye." Vaati said. "The... the Hero of Time shot Gohma in the eye with a slingshot to get her off of the ceiling, then attacked with his sword."  
>"We're in luck, then." Link grinned, sheathing his sword and grabbing his bow from his pack. "Because I just happen to have <em>this<em>."  
>"Do you have arrows for that thing?" Chilta asked.<br>Link's grin immediately fell from his face. "Well... I sort of used them all last year, and never stocked up. I didn't think I would need it again this soon."  
>"... You are... <em>so lucky<em> that I'm on this little adventure with you." Chilta muttered, digging into his own pack. "If we can't find any arrows, I can rig up a sling. It won't do much damage, and it'll be pretty hard to aim, but it's better than nothing."  
>"Chilta saves the day again." Vaati giggled.<br>Chilta chuckled, holding his hands up. "Please, no need to thank me, it's what I do."  
>Link rolled his eyes. "You can pat yourself on the back later. Right now, we've got a spider queen to track down."<br>"Right." Chilta nodded. "Where'd you brawl with the biggest monster in this place last time?"  
>Link sighed, rubbing his head. "Way back in the first room, there were two staircases. We need to get all the way back there and go up one of those..."<p>

Link made it a point to smash every pot and vase the trio came across on the way back to the entrance of the Deepwood Shrine. Though most of them were empty, a few contained rupees or the occasional bomb. As luck would have it, the four pots in the first room of the shrine were filled to the brim with arrows. As the Hylian boy stuffed as many of them into his quiver as he could, he realized that fate had been smiling upon him for quite some time; his meeting with Vaati at the river, the friendship - and romance - the two had developed, Chilta joining them on their journey, the ease with which they handled the monsters of Hyrule. "... Guys, something's going to go wrong in the battle with Gohma, I just know it. Things have gone way too smoothly up until now."  
>"I could've been killed by a darknut, and your house almost burned to the ground." Chilta stated.<br>Vaati nodded. "And someone nearly gave me a concussion with a rock about twenty minutes ago." The pale boy added. "That's definitely not 'things going smoothly'."  
>"Stupid statement withdrawn." Link laughed. "I guess the good things just outweigh the bad so much that I forget the bad even happens." Once he had packed his quiver near to bursting with arrows, the Hylian boy slid it over his shoulder and grabbed his bow. Deciding that that was all he would need, he set his pack down. "Alright, guys, let's go take care of a spider infestation."<br>The two picori followed the young hero up the staircase.

As soon as the trio entered the room beyond the pool at the top of the stairs, the door slammed shut behind them, trapping them inside. Chilta stepped forward, pointing toward a massive lump on the ceiling. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Parasitic Armored Arachnid, Queen Gohma. Link, if you would be so kind."  
>Link nodded, nocking an arrow to his bowstring and drawing it back. "How do we get her to open her eye?"<br>"Maybe a few cuts will work." Vaati suggested, a quick upward swing of his arm sending a wind blade toward the monster.  
>The blade clicked against Gohma's thick carapace, the armored arachnid unrolling and beginning to scurry along the ceiling, her one massive yellow eye popping open. Eggs began dropping from the sac on the monster's back, cracking open as they hit the floor and adding Gohma's larvae to the fray.<br>Link let the arrow fly, the projectile piercing Gohma's eye. "Got her! Vaati, it's all yours!"  
>The pale picori closed the distance quickly, his blade biting into Gohma's eye as she hit the floor. He was relentless in his attack, but could not kill Gohma before she leapt back up to the ceiling for another round.<br>Chilta stood in front of Link as the Hylian boy readied another arrow, keeping the larvae away as best he could by kicking them across the room. "Hey, these little dudes are pretty aerodynamic!"  
>Link chuckled, launching another arrow, barely missing Gohma's eye. Muttering to himself, he reached for his quiver again, not noticing the larva that managed to get past Chilta. As the monster leapt at him, that little blue appendage smacked against the Hylian boy's unprotected hand, thousands of microscopic spines sending venom shooting up the young hero's arm. Link cried out, dropping his bow and clutching the wound, his arm already starting to burn.<br>At the sound of Link's cry, Vaati snapped. Time seemed to stand still.

_Vaati was surrounded by white light. He could see the other boys, Gohma, the larvae, everything around him just beyond the light, frozen in time. Before him stood three women, Hylian by their look. The first was a redhead with beautiful orange eyes, the second with hair the color of the treetops in the Minish Woods and bright green eyes, the third with eyes as blue as the sea and flowing cerulean hair. All three wore long white robes, and jewelry of gold set with stones of their color - rubies, emeralds, sapphires. "Are you...?"  
><em>_"We are." The redhead answered. "I am Din."  
><em>_"And I am Farore." The green-eyed goddess chimed in.  
><em>_"And my name is Nayru." The blue-eyed woman added.  
><em>_Vaati looked away. "I-I apologize for looking upon you, goddesses. I am not worthy."  
><em>_"Please, there is no need for that." Din said, smiling warmly at the picori boy.  
><em>_Vaati looked back at the goddesses after a moment. "Did I die...? Is that why I'm seeing you?"  
><em>_Nayru shook her head. "No. You are very much alive."  
><em>_"What do you feel in your heart?" Farore asked.  
><em>_Vaati didn't need to think. "Anger." He immediately replied. "Link is hurt. I... I have to do something to end this before things get worse."  
><em>_"What you feel is justified anger." Din explained. "Unlike what you felt last year, when you stole the Wishing Cap. Back then, you were angry simply because the other picori said hurtful things about you."  
><em>_"Now, the one you love is in danger." Nayru took over. "If you allow the anger you feel to surface, things will not turn out as they did back then. You will not be taken over, and you will not be transformed into a monster."  
><em>_Vaati's eyes widened. "Love...?" It took the pale boy a moment to realize what else was said. "I... I'll still be in my right mind?"  
><em>_"Of course." Farore smiled. "We would not steer you wrong, child. Just have faith in us and allow yourself to embrace your true power."  
><em>_"... I will." Vaati said. "Thank you all. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have a spider to kill."_

When Vaati returned to reality and time resumed its flow, the picori boy's eyes turned a deep green color. The back of his red tunic ripped open, revealing a pair of massive, golden Keese wings sprouting from his shoulders. "Chilta! Grab Link's sword and protect him!"  
>Chilta nodded, rolling over to Link and pulling the Hylian boy's sword from its scabbard. Quick slashes diced the larvae as they attacked, kicks launching the corpses across the room.<br>Vaati's own sword lay, forgotten, on the floor. The pale picori took to the air, arms outstretched and claws readied, slamming right into Gohma's eye. He didn't even slow down, ripping through the armored arachnid's body.  
>Link watched, amazed, as Vaati's claws punched holes all over Gohma's body from the inside.<br>Vaati emerged from Gohma's body, covered in the armored arachnid's blood and carrying a large chunk of red ore. He landed gracefully, touching down without a sound, the wings vanishing into his back and his eyes returning to their natural red color. As the picori boy set the ore down and picked up his weapon, Gohma's corpse fell from the ceiling behind him, crashing to the floor. The last of the armored arachnid's larvae shriveled and died.  
>Chilta slid Link's blade back into its sheath. "You look like you've got the whole 'protecting Link' thing covered, so I'm gonna run for one of his potions. I'll be back in just a sec." The mountain picori took off as soon as the door opened, hurrying down the stairs to the entrance of the shrine.<br>Vaati knelt beside Link, smiling. "The standard red potion should slow the venom until I can mix up an antidote."  
>"You brew potions?" The Hylian boy asked.<br>Vaati nodded. "It's... something Ezlo taught me."  
>"Vaati... I have a couple of things I need to tell you." Link said, reaching out with his uninjured hand and caressing the pale picori's cheek. "I... I think I love you."<br>Vaati giggled softly, nuzzling against Link's hand. "I love you, too." He paused, tilting his head a bit. "What's the second thing?"  
>"What you did, the way you handled Gohma... was the hottest thing I've ever seen." Link replied, grinning.<br>Chilta returned a few moments later with his own pack as well as Link's, handing the young hero a bottled potion, the Hylian boy removing the cork and gulping down the red liquid.  
>"Goddesses, I needed that." Link murmured. "Thanks, Chilta. And thank <em>you<em>, Vaati, for taking care of things so quickly."  
>Vaati's cheeks tinged pink, the picori boy smiling. "I just did what the goddesses told me to."<br>"You'll have to explain what you mean by that, once we get back to my house." Link said, getting up. "Let's get moving..."  
>Vaati nodded, glancing at Chilta. "I found that ore inside of Gohma." He said, gesturing toward the large red lump nearby. "It might be useful. You're strong enough to carry it, right?"<br>Chilta grinned, grabbing the chunk of ore and lifting it onto one shoulder. "Yeah, no problem. I'll see what I can do with it when we get back."  
>"Feel free to use the forge, just like before." Link said, starting back toward the shrine entrance, absently rubbing his injured arm.<br>"I'll gather up the ingredients for the antidote on the way." Vaati smiled, following behind Link.  
>Chilta was last out of the room, both packs on his back and the chunk of ore on his shoulder. <em>What just happened, Vaati...?<em>


	13. Chapter 13

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
><strong>**(Semi-?)Explicit sexual content**

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Ready for more of the story? Here we go.**

* * *

><p>Link found himself in his kitchen once again, watching as Vaati crushed various herbs and berries with a mortar and pestle. The picori boy was working quickly, trying to get the antidote done as soon as possible. "Is there anything I can do to help?" The Hylian asked.<br>Vaati nodded. "I need a cooking pot, please. And do you have chuchu jelly in any of those bottles of yours?"  
>"I've got some from a blue chuchu." Link replied, stepping up beside Vaati and using his uninjured arm to open the cabinet above the picori boy's head, removing a cooking pot from inside. "Want me to put this on the stove, or do you need it right here?"<br>"The stove, please." Vaati instructed him. "And fill it about halfway with water; if we don't dilute the antidote, it could cause... well, less-than-desirable effects."  
>Link set the pot on the stove, using a few bottles of Mount Crenel's spring water to fill it. Moving to the rack of glass bottles near Vaati, he pointed out the blue chuchu jelly.<br>"Thank you." Vaati murmured, kissing Link's cheek before grabbing the bottle, dumping some of its contents into his mortar. Once he had deemed the mixture satisfactory, the picori boy took it over to the stove and poured it into the pot. "Would you grab a few of those berries, please?"  
>Link nodded, scooping up a handful of the orange berries Vaati used in the antidote and bringing them to the other boy. "These?"<br>Vaati giggled, shaking his head. "No, the red ones. If we add any more of _those_, you'll be seeing strange colors for a week."  
>Link blinked, looking down at the berries in his hand; they looked quite ordinary, and like many other berries he had seen in the Minish Woods. As he swapped them for the bulbous red berries Vaati had set out near the sink, he wondered how the picori could identify them so easily.<br>Vaati turned the stove on before taking the berries from Link. As he waited for the concoction to boil, he decided to abuse his wind magic a bit, conjuring a tiny tornado on the bottom of the pot to stir the potion for him. Once the potion had begun to boil, the pale boy started adding the berries, crushing them by hand before dropping them into the pot. Gradually, the potion turned from the brilliant green of the Crenel spring water to deep azure. The picori boy allowed the potion to cool for a few moments before holding out his hand. "Empty bottle, please."  
>Link grabbed a bottle from his pack, handing it to the picori boy. After a moment, the glass container was returned, filled with the thick potion.<br>"Drink that, slowly." Vaati said, turning the stove off.  
>As Link drank the potion, he grimaced; it may not have been hot enough to burn, but it was quite bitter and left his mouth tasting like grass. "Goddesses, that's disgusting..."<br>"Well, that's how you know it works." Vaati grinned.

Chilta knew exactly what he wanted to do with the ore. Tossing his gloves into the fire and leaving himself with only the spiked plates attached to rings, he set to work melting the ore down.  
>It took hours for the mountain picori to finish his work on the weapons, but when he did, he was quite proud of himself. And quite exhausted.<br>Link's blade had been edged in red, sharpened until it could split a hair up the middle. The guard finally got attention from the mountain picori, worked into a long, red 'V', the tips curving inward, nearly coming together into a heart shape.  
>Vaati's sword was finally changed, small, fin-like thorns lining the edge of the blade for added killing power. The metal scabbard had taken a bit of reworking, as well, widened to fit the thorns within and detailed in red. The same 'V' from Link's guard adorned both sides of the scabbard.<br>The plates of Chilta's gloves had been detailed, as well. Red crosses sat between the spikes, connecting them together. Long, flexible 'fingers' stretched out beneath the plates, replacing the cloth gloves, each ending in a sharpened talon.  
>Chilta sheathed the two blades, returning to the other room and collapsing into the nearest chair. "Is it time to sleep yet?"<br>"The sun will go down in a couple of hours." Link replied. "We might have enough time to get to Minish Woods and back, to let Gentari know about Gohma."  
>Chilta groaned. "Alright, just... just gimme a few minutes to rest. I'm totally drained right now..."<p>

Half an hour later, the trio set out toward the Minish Woods once again.  
>Link was already feeling better, thanks to Vaati's cure. He wrapped an arm around the pale boy's shoulders, smiling. "Hey, Vaati? Do you think you could show me those wings...?"<br>Vaati blinked, surprised by the sudden question. He shrugged after a moment. "I don't think they'll come out unless I tap into my full magic power."  
>"Is that dangerous at all?" Link asked.<br>Vaati shook his head. "I don't believe it is. The goddesses told me that it wouldn't turn me into a monster, like it did last year."  
>"You still haven't told us what you mean by that." Chilta said. "The goddesses spoke to you?"<br>Vaati blushed, nodding. "When Link was hurt, everything just... stopped. They appeared and spoke to me, told me that the one I love was in danger, so my anger was justified and wouldn't... wouldn't take over."  
>"You realize that if you tell anyone else, they're gonna think you're a little nuts, right?" Chilta grinned.<br>Vaati giggled softly. "I don't plan to tell anyone else."  
>"Do you plan to show me those wings of yours?" Link asked, kissing Vaati's jaw. "I'm just asking for a peek."<br>Vaati blushed, pulling away from Link and turning around, showing the Hylian boy the pale skin of his back through the holes in the tunic. As the picori tapped into his magic, the golden wings appeared, along with the claws he had used to slay Gohma. He shivered as fingers gently brushed over the membrane of one wing, looking over his shoulder and giving Link a shy smile.  
>"Come on, you guys can feel each other up later." Chilta smirked. "We've gotta go tell Gentari about the giant spider that Vaati eviscerated."<br>Link pulled his hand back, rolling his eyes. "Oh, fine."  
>"You can touch my wings when we get back..." Vaati murmured, his blush deepening. Before Link could reply, the picori boy's eyes returned to their natural color, his claws and wings vanishing.<br>Together, the trio continued on their trip back to the Minish Woods, in comfortable silence.

The trio found Gentari in his home in the village, the old picori seated in front of the fire. The elder stood when they entered, nodding in greeting. "What did you find inside the Deepwood Shrine?"  
>"A monster called Queen Gohma." Link replied.<br>The elder's eyes widened. "That cannot be. Surely it was some other creature."  
>"It was Gohma." Chilta stated. "All three of us recognized her from the fairy tale."<br>Vaati nodded. "We even defeated her the same way the Hero of Time did."  
>Gentari sighed heavily, sitting back down. "Thank you for informing me of this. I'm afraid I must ask you for a favor, heroes."<br>"We're already on it." Link said. "We're looking into what happened to make the picori grow, who killed Ezlo, and why these monsters are appearing around Hyrule again."  
>The old picori smiled. "I am glad to hear it. I wish you all the luck in the world on your quest."<br>Bidding farewell to the elder, the boys began the journey back to Link's home.  
>Gentari smiled as he watched them leave. <em>Your journey will be a dangerous one. Keep each other safe.<em>

Before the trio had left the Minish Woods, running footsteps alerted them to someone following them. Link whipped around, hand on the hilt of his sword, then allowed himself to relax as he saw the picori rushing toward them.  
>His hat had fallen off at some point, his black hair swept back as he ran toward the trio, a pack on one shoulder and several papers clutched to his chest. "Wait!"<br>Chilta's eyebrows rose. "Belari? What's goin' on?"  
>"Please... let me... come with you..." Belari panted, stumbling and falling against the mountain picori.<br>"Take a minute, catch your breath." Chilta smiled, his arms around the smaller male. "Why do you wanna come along?"  
>Belari took a deep breath. "I never get to show you and Link my inventions anymore. I may not be all that useful when you guys are killing monsters, but I can supply you when you're away from Hyrule Town."<br>"That _would_ be pretty handy." Link said.  
>Vaati nodded. "You'll never run out of arrows again." He giggled, nudging Link.<br>"Thank you all so much!" Belari beamed at them. "I promise, I'll do my best to be useful! I'll go to Hyrule Town every day to stock up, and anything you don't have a use for, I'll try to make into something neat."  
>Chilta leaned down, whispering to Belari. "Whenever we're at Link's place for the night, you and me are gonna have to share a room. The lovebirds will want their privacy."<br>"That's alright with me." Belari replied, chuckling a little. "Is that where we're headed now?"  
>Chilta nodded. "Yeah. Come on, let's get going before the sun goes down and we start slamming into stuff."<p>

When the group arrived at Link's home, the sun had just set. Link took Vaati's hand, leading the picori boy toward the stairs. "Other side of the hall is my uncle's old room." He tossed over his shoulder. "You guys can have that one. Sorry there's only one bed." Before the other picori could respond, he and Vaati were up the stairs and in the Hylian boy's bedroom.  
>Vaati smiled, sitting down on Link's bed. "Do you... want me to bring my wings back?"<br>Link shook his head. "Forget the wings. If you'll let me, I'd like to touch the rest of you."  
>Blushing, the picori boy gave a slow nod, pulling off his armored tunic. He set the garment aside, then stood, fumbling with his belt. When he finally managed to remove the stubborn thing, he tucked his thumbs into his pants, but stopped himself before he could remove them. "A-are you sure you want to see me? Completely?"<br>"I'm sure." Link smiled. "I'm not going to say anything mean about your fur, Vaati."  
>Deciding not to give himself time to back out, the picori boy slid his pants down, exposing himself completely to the Hylian boy. Suddenly feeling self-conscious about his appearance, the pale boy looked away.<br>Link stepped over to the picori, resting his hands on the other boy's hips. "You are beautiful." He stated, as if the words were a fact that no one in the world could argue against. "And I love every bit of you."  
>"I..." Vaati couldn't find the words to reply for a long moment. "Thank you. I love you, too." One hand moved from his hip to his tail, the picori squeaking as his backside was squeezed. "H-hey, grabby!"<br>"I told you I wanted to touch the rest of you." Link grinned, leaning close to lick along the edge of one of Vaati's long ears. Before long, the Hylian boy felt something poking against his leg. He stepped back, staring. "Wow. That's pretty big..."  
>"Oh, goddesses, it's a complete turn-off, isn't it...?" Vaati whimpered, reaching for his pants, gasping as something that was definitely <em>not<em> part of his own body wrapped around his cock.  
>"Not at all." Link purred out, pressing his lips to Vaati's as he began stroking the other boy.<p>

It had been over too quickly, Link's grip on his member had been too tight, and it had been the single most amazing experience of Vaati's young life. His orgasm had left him completely exhausted; he wasn't even able to get his pants back on before passing out on Link's bed. As he drifted off, he felt a blanket being pulled over him, and heard words whispered in his ear. "Sleep well, my Vaati."  
>And he did.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Full frontal nudity used for comedy<br>Lots of items **

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Are you ready to hear the next portion of our story? **

* * *

><p>Vaati woke feeling on top of the world. Looking down, he giggled a bit; Link's blanket still bore its 'battle scars', criss-crossing stitches holding it together. He gently pushed the blanket aside, sliding off of Link's bed and grabbing his pants. <em>I... could really use a bath...<em> He thought, picking up his tunic.  
>The picori boy made his way downstairs, carrying his clothing, hoping to get out and to the river before anyone noticed him. Fate seemed to have other plans, however, as he bumped into Chilta on his way to the door.<br>"Sorry, little-" The mountain picori began, stopping as he looked down, laughing and covering his eyes. "Whoa, full frontal Vaati!"  
>Vaati blushed, scowling as he ducked between the taller boy's legs, out the door in a hurry. The pale boy took a flying leap from the top of the hill that Link's house sat upon, his wings materializing and allowing him to glide to the river, where he dropped into the deep water, still holding his clothes.<br>As the picori washed himself, he wondered how he and Link had managed to get so close in only a couple of days. It didn't take long for the pale boy to decide that he didn't really care how it happened, he was just happy that it did. Ducking under the water to scrub the remains of Gohma out of his hair, he allowed his mind to focus on the quest. _What could we encounter in the Castor Wilds? Could it be another monster from the fairy tale? Goddesses, who was the Hero of Time's second foe...?_

When Vaati returned, Chilta and Belari were chatting quietly over the remnants of breakfast, but there was no sign of Link. The pale picori stepped in, shutting the door. "Um... where's Link?"  
>"Upstairs." Chilta replied. "Made us breakfast, then just..." He trailed off, shrugging.<br>"Thank you." Vaati smiled, heading upstairs and into Link's room. He glanced around, finding the room completely empty. Shaking his head, he turned, checking the room across the hall.  
>Link was seated on his uncle's bed, his legs pulled up to his chest. He looked over as the door opened, then back to the wall. "Hey."<br>"What are you doing in here?" Vaati asked, sitting next to the Hylian boy.  
>"Thinking." The young hero replied.<br>Vaati laid his head on the other boy's shoulder. "About your uncle?"  
>"Yeah. Well, no." Link thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Kind of."<br>Vaati smiled. "That's an odd answer."  
>"I'm an odd guy." Link replied.<br>Vaati giggled softly, nuzzling at Link's neck. "Do you want me to go?"  
>Link made a non-commital noise in the back of his throat; Vaati figured it meant he was free to stay if he wanted to. The two boys sat in silence for a long while, both getting lost in their own thoughts.<br>"... He wasn't really my uncle." Link finally said.  
>The sound of the other boy's voice startled Vaati a bit; the picori had grown so used to the silence that it almost seemed that he was alone in the room. "What do you mean?"<br>"He was my grandfather." Link answered. "But he never acted like a grandfather. He wasn't the old guy that would sit around and tell stories about his youth." The Hylian boy paused, smiling as he contemplated how to continue. "He was... he was the cool older family member with the awesome job you were always welcome to help with, that wouldn't really mind if you didn't want to spend time with him, but you always _did_ want to, because he was really nice to you and had all kinds of neat stuff. So he was more of an uncle than a grandfather, and that's how I always thought of him."  
>Vaati looked away. "I can't imagine what it must be like, to lose someone you were that close to..."<br>"You know exactly what it's like." Link said. "You lost Ezlo. When you think about it, the two of them were pretty similar."  
>"Maybe they're becoming friends, wherever they are now." Vaati said, giggling at the thought.<br>Link laughed, nodding. "Yeah. In fact, I bet they're watching us right now, screaming that we're supposed to be saving the world, not sitting around."  
>Vaati stood, offering Link his hand. "Then let's go save the world. For them."<br>Link took Vaati's hand, standing up and pulling the picori close for a quick kiss. "You're cute when you're determined. Actually, scratch that, you're adorable. All the time."  
>Vaati blushed brightly, smiling. "I... I'm glad you like the way I look. And I think you're quite handsome..."<br>"Thanks." Link grinned, hugging Vaati close. "Now, let's go drag Chilta and Belari to the Castor Wilds, shall we?"  
>Vaati nodded, ready to follow Link to Hell and back if the Hylian boy asked him to.<p>

Link began setting the items in his pack on the table, going through them to decide which would be most useful on the trip to the Castor Wilds and the Fortress of Winds. The Mole Mitts were quickly secured to the Hylian boy's belt; he remembered how frustrating it had been to go through the dirt maze without them and never planned to deal with it again.  
>His sword was returned to its place on his back; he would never leave home without his trusty weapon. The shield was slung over his shoulder, giving a soft click as it locked to his blade's scabbard; a solid defense would come in handy, no matter what they faced.<br>His quiver hung at one hip, the bow at the other; ranged attacks had been useful against Gohma and would probably make the next battle much easier.  
>He passed over his bombs; the passages that had been cleared with them the first time through could easily be cleared with the Mole Mitts, if dirt had filled them.<br>His Pegasus Boots had long since replaced his normal boots; even when he wasn't running at high speeds, they seemed better than any non-magical boots, and the fact that they were also much more comfortable was a plus.  
>The flippers still needed to be returned to the picori elder that lived in Hyrule Town's library; after learning to swim on his own, the boy would never need them again, so they would be left on the table until there was time to return them.<br>His Grip Ring - the ring he had purchased from the Deku at Mount Crenel so long ago - had only ever been taken off to sleep or bathe, the same going for his Power Bracelets; they were much too useful to be without.  
>The boomerang was passed over; anything that required the boomerang could just as easily be done with his bow.<br>The Gust Jar and Cane of Pacci would have to sit the trip out; both were just no longer all that useful, in the hero's opinion. His ocarina would stay at home, as well; its only function that he knew of was to summon the bird Zeffa to transport him to another location, but the Hylian boy had grown fond of walking and enjoying Hyrule.  
>The young hero smiled as he reached for the Roc's Cape, all beautiful white feathers tipped in blue, swinging it around his shoulders; the ability to fly with it was something that he could never pass up, and the idea of flying with Vaati excited him. A few bottles, both empty and filled with potions, were tucked away in pockets Link had sewn onto the Cape; such things were useful in any situation.<br>The last of his items, the Flame Lantern that could melt even the thickest ice in seconds, would be left at home; he had no use for its light in the Fortress, but he would have to make room for it when the group finally made it to the Temple of Droplets at Lake Hylia.  
>Vaati watched with growing interest as Link went through his items, wondering what many of them did. When he noticed that the young hero was attempting to leave behind a cute little instrument and a boomerang, he immediately picked them up, tucking the boomerang into his belt and slipping the ocarina into his pocket. "I'll give them back when we're done in the Castor Wilds, I promise."<br>Chilta grinned, deciding to get in on it, as well. Link's bomb bag was quickly strapped to the mountain picori's belt, the Flame Lantern filling the spot at the other hip. "Just in case. And don't worry, I'll return 'em once the adventure is over."  
>Belari wasn't sure what possessed him to get involved - he barely knew the trio, and what they were doing seemed like it would only be right among friends - but he reached out, scooping up the Gust Jar and Cane of Pacci, tucking them into his pack. "If you'd allow me to, Link, I may be able to find a use for these."<br>Link chuckled, nodding. "Oh, by all means. Let me know if you manage to turn them into something cool."  
>"Of course." Belari smiled.<br>"Okay, I'm ready to go." Link declared.  
>"I am, as well." Vaati said, smiling. "I have a feeling things will turn out well."<p>

Once Link was prepared, Chilta decided that it was his turn to empty his pack and go through it. Most of what he had packed was clothing, which had no place on the adventure when Link's home was only a day's walk from all but the farthest areas. He passed the torches from the Cave of Flames to Belari, along with several strips of cloth for makeshift masks or bandages. The rest, he would be leaving behind.  
>Belari was quick to tuck away the items handed to him in his pack; unlike the other three, he didn't need to worry about the pack getting in the way of combat, so he could afford to take along a fair few items that may not be useful at their destination.<br>Giving the contents of his pack one more look, Chilta grabbed a light blue headband that matched his pants, tying it on. "There. Ready to get goin'."  
>"Me, too." Belari smiled.<br>Leaving the rest of their items on the table to be cleaned up later, the four boys set off toward the first area between them and the Fortress of Winds, the Trilby Highlands.  
>"You know," Belari said, already examining the Gust Jar and Cane of Pacci as the group walked, "I think I might already know what I'm going to do with these. A-and I even have a catchy name for the finished item."<br>Link glanced over his shoulder at the forest picori. "Oh yeah? What is it?"  
>"I think I'm going to call it... the Staff of the Wind Fish." Belari answered.<br>Vaati blinked; the name sounded oddly familiar. "'Wind Fish'?" The pale boy asked.  
>"Like the Tale of the Wind Fish." Belari explained, popping part of the Gust Jar off. "You know, the story about the boy that dreams about this fantastic land that he has to save from catastrophe. At least, I think that's the gist of it..."<br>Realization dawning on him, Vaati removed Link's ocarina from his pocket and brought the instrument to his lips, playing a hauntingly beautiful song that conjured an image of an island in each boy's mind, the mountain in the center capped by a massive, spotted egg. As the song went on, there was a beach, a village, a desert, lakes and swamps, towers and temples, then suddenly, it was over, the ocarina disappearing into Vaati's pocket again.  
>"... I'm not the only one that just saw that, am I?" Chilta asked, glancing at Link, then Belari. "You guys saw it, right?"<br>Link could only nod, too stunned to speak.  
>"The Ballad of the Wind Fish..." Belari breathed, eyes wide.<br>"When the story was first created and printed, the writer included a copy of the sheet music with the first few books." Vaati said softly. "The man wasn't a musician, but the song he wrote - the Ballad of the Wind Fish, rumored to have been given to him in a dream by the goddesses themselves - could show amazing things when played right. Ezlo had one of the first copies of the book... and he could play the song so well that the entire story would play out right in your mind..." The pale boy smiled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry mine isn't that good."  
>"Isn't that good?" Link repeated, staring at the sorcerer. "Vaati, it was amazing. And best of all, that stupid bird didn't show up throughout the entire thing!"<br>Vaati let out a squealing giggle that Link found positively adorable. "That's all it takes to impress you? Just play the ocarina and don't get taken away by a bird?"  
>The Hylian boy rolled his eyes. "It's harder than it sounds. That feathered idiot shows up no matter what songs <em>I<em> play. I can only get away from him inside."  
>Sharing a good laugh, the group continued on their path to the Fortress of Winds.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>Violence and gore<br>Some Chilta/Belari  
>Explicit sexual content<strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Back once more, friends? Come in, there is still quite a bit of the story to go.**

* * *

><p>The Trilby Highlands were teeming with rupee thieves; Keatons armed with knives roamed the area, birds after anything shiny flew over head, and beneath the ground, the mole-like Acro-bandits scurried along in their tunnels. Several of the monsters made the mistake of attempting to rob the group.<br>The first Acro-bandit that appeared above ground received an arrow between the eyes, its cohorts getting shot right out of the air as they popped up.  
>A murder of crows was swept up in a tornado, Vaati directing it into the trees to smack the birds against them.<br>A pair of Keatons attacked Belari, the forest picori doing his best to avoid their knife swings with the heavy pack on his back. Before long, he stumbled, falling back on his rear.  
>The talons of Chilta's gloves pierced one of the Keatons through the chest, the creature dropping to the ground as the claws were pulled free.<br>Before the other Keaton could react, a blade was resting at either side of its neck. Link and Vaati stood behind it, swords crossed. As the two boys slid their weapons apart, the blades scraping together, the monster's head was sliced from its shoulders.  
>"You okay?" Chilta asked, offering a hand to Belari.<br>The forest picori nodded, smiling as he took Chilta's hand, the taller boy pulling him to his feet. "Yeah. I can't really fight, but I'm usually good at escaping from things that want to wear my skin as a coat. I think I might be getting clumsy..."  
>Chilta leaned down, his lips brushing against Belari's. "Eh, clumsy is kinda cute." Looking up, the mountain picori noticed that the other boys were staring at them. "What? While you two were feeling each other up last night, we got to know each other pretty well. Turns out the little inventor dude's liked me since the day we met, and I'm pretty fond of him, too."<br>"It's good that you found someone." Link smiled.  
>Together, the group continued toward the Castor Wilds, each one happy to be loved. They were four boys with no family left, friendship and love for each other keeping them together. And for them, that was more than enough.<p>

The Castor Wilds were just as they had been the year before, all covered in the thick muck of swampland, full of thorned vines that seemed to be everywhere. Colorful insects flitted from bush to bush, fleeing by wing when the group approached.  
>Link, for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on, rather enjoyed the swamp. Occasionally, during the quiet year after the Wishing Cap incident, the young hero would return to the Wilds and observe the insects. As he trudged through the swamp, the deep muck threatening to suck his boots right off of his feet, he couldn't keep from smiling, already planning for the end of the adventure. "Once this is all over, I'm going to see the rest of the planet, all the other kingdoms and the unexplored lands. Get myself a bug net, maybe a fishing rod, and just enjoy life for a while. Take a break from always having to save the world."<br>"Sounds like fun." Vaati said. "Do you think I could come along...?"  
>Link nodded, pausing when he reached solid enough ground and turning to embrace his picori. "Of course."<br>"I might follow you guys." Chilta grinned. "Why stop with just checking out the rest of Hyrule, right?"  
>"You'll need someone that can handle getting supplies while you all explore." Belari stated. "Perhaps I should come, too?"<br>"Sure." Link replied. "We'll find a nice spot in the middle of nowhere to build a house, I'll draw a wind crest outside so we can easily get back by using that stupid bird, then we'll just go wherever the wind takes us."  
>They could all agree that exploring the rest of the world was the perfect way to spend their time after the adventure; Link wanted to enjoy life without the pressure of being a hero, Vaati simply wanted to be with the Hylian boy, Chilta wanted to see the world, and Belari always loved feeling useful. Their plans made, the group continued through the swamp, slowly making their way around to the Wind Ruins to the south.<p>

Things at the Wind Ruins did not go nearly as well as Link would have liked, and as the heavy stone shield of an Armos smacked against his jaw, the Hylian boy swore he could _taste_ his own heartbeat. Or maybe he had bitten his tongue and was just tasting the blood, he couldn't really be sure.  
>Chilta's punches chipped away at the stone, but before the mountain picori could make much progress, the statue swiveled around to face him and smacked him aside with its shield. As the tall boy landed, his ribs screaming at him to get away and let them heal, he reached for the bag at his hip.<br>Knowing that his wind magic would be nearly useless against the heavy statue, Vaati began flicking Link's boomerang at it, snatching it out of the air as it rebounded off the stone to throw it again. He knew it wasn't doing much good, but it was keeping the statue's attention on him, allowing him to lead it in circles until Chilta could ready a bomb.  
>A small, black sphere came flying from the ground behind the sorcerer, wedging in the hole in the statue's head. As Vaati took cover, Chilta detonated the bomb, the top half of the Armos suddenly gone.<br>"Alright," the mountain picori growled, "what was that thing and how many more are there?"  
>"That was an Armos. As for how many there are, I'm not really sure." Link replied, rubbing his jaw. "They're all over the place. Good thinking with that remote bomb, by the way."<br>Chilta smirked. "And _you_ wanted to leave the bombs at home."  
>"I didn't remember the Armos. I blocked their existence from my mind because of things like <em>that<em>." Link muttered.  
>Vaati stood, dusting the dirt off of his clothing. "I would like to suggest staying away from those things, if at all possible."<br>"I second that." Link said, reaching into a pocket of his cape and offering Chilta a potion, grabbing another for himself and gulping it down. "Goddesses, I hate Armos statues..."  
>Chilta nodded, returning the empty bottle to the Hylian boy. "I can see why. Those big bastards hit like gorons."<br>"Actually, I believe they hit harder." Belari said. "I-I did a few calculations during the fight, to figure out just how hard those things could hit. I believe your average Armos has enough strength to kill your average _person_with a single strike."  
>Chilta raised an eyebrow. "Then how are we not dead? I got hit in the chest and Link took one right on the chin."<br>Belari could only shrug in response. "Divine protection?"  
>"It doesn't matter how we're still alive." Link stated. "It just matters that we are. And now we know how to take the Armos statues out easily."<br>Vaati giggled softly. "Yeah, we just have to make sure the bomb bag is always stocked up."  
>Link nodded, glancing at the mountain picori. "That reminds me, how many are in there?"<br>Chilta shrugged, opening the bag and glancing in. "Looks like maybe a dozen or so."  
>"That should be enough." Link said. "And if not, we'll just look for more."<p>

The bomb bag gradually emptied as the group made their way closer to the Fortress of Winds. They were down to their last three bombs by the time they made it into the massive structure.  
>Belari removed his pack, setting it down and seating himself on the floor of the first room. "I'll stay here. You guys don't need me slowing you down, and I want to get back to work on that staff."<br>Link nodded. "Alright. Since the monsters don't usually come into this room, you should be safe."  
>"We'll be back once we've busted the skull of the biggest monster in here." Chilta grinned.<br>Belari smiled, shaking his head. "Best of luck, guys."  
>Mole Mitts on, Link led Vaati and Chilta through the door at the far side of the room, to the start of the maze of dirt.<br>Before the Hylian boy could begin digging, Vaati stepped up beside him, whispering in his ear to make sure Chilta couldn't hear. "If... if we get through this place without getting hurt, I'd like to repay you for last night..."  
>Link chuckled, turning to kiss Vaati before beginning to tunnel through the soil. "Talk about incentive to play it safe."<br>As the hero broke through the first dirt wall, a sword swung past his head, barely missing him. The Hylian boy was quick to draw his weapon, kicking the lizard-like knight backward and into the next room. He called to the other boys over his shoulder as he charged after the saurian. "Well, we've got Lizalfos! I guess that means we'll be facing off against another monster from the fairy tale!"  
>Vaati was after the other boy in an instant, to even the odds; he wasn't sure if Link remembered, but in the fairy tale, Lizalfos always came in pairs.<br>Chilta followed, intent on getting a front-row seat to the fight.

The next room was, mercifully, mostly clear of dirt, though high walls of it blocked the corners from view. The twin Lizalfos were already attacking Link and Vaati, agressive and animalistic with their attacks.  
>Deciding to stay out of the way, Chilta stayed against the dirt wall in one corner. Just as the mountain picori began getting comfortable, a steel-coated arm punched through the dirt and hooked around his neck.<br>A third Lizalfos pushed its way through the wall, swinging the tall picori to the ground once it was free.  
>Chilta growled, clutching the back of his head as he staggered to his feet, feeling the warm wetness of blood in his hair. "You... just made a big mistake..." He hissed, catching the Lizalfos' steel fist in one hand, savagely twisting its arm. As the creature swung at him with its other hand, the picori ducked under it, hooking his arm under the saurian's and around its neck. The picori drove his heel into the back of the monster's knee, forcing it to kneel before slamming it down, cracking the saurian's skull against the ground.<br>Vaati dueled with his own Lizalfos, kept on the defensive by the saurian monster's surprisingly quick strikes. He knew that if he couldn't think of a way to win soon, it would become a battle of endurance, and the picori boy probably wouldn't survive an exchange of blows with the creature. Picking his moment in an instant, he parried an attack, rolling forward and past the saurian, scooping up a handful of dirt. As he spun to face the creature, he threw the dirt into its eyes, then buried his blade under its chin.  
>Link's blade bit, repeatedly, into the scales of his Lizalfos, but the young hero could only cause shallow cuts over the creature's body, the saurian continuously flipping and jumping out of his range before launching its own attacks. Quickly tiring of dancing with the lizard, the Hylian boy waited for the monster to attack again before swinging forward, his fist hitting the creature's muzzle and stunning it. The hero hopped up, mounting the saurian's shoulders and plunging his blade into its head. He wrenched his sword free, dropping off of the monster's shoulders as the corpse fell.<br>The trio looked around, making sure more monsters weren't waiting behind the other walls before finally allowing themselves to relax. Link and Vaati were quickly at Chilta's side, the Hylian offering the tall boy a potion.  
>"I'm alright." Chilta said, passing up the potion. "Keep it for when we really need it."<br>Link reluctantly returned the bottle to the pocket of his cape, nodding. "Okay, but at least let me take a look."  
>Chilta rolled his eyes, but knelt down, allowing the hero to examine the wound.<br>Link brushed Chilta's hair out of the way, expecting the worst. When he saw the small wound, barely bleeding anymore, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, you _are_ alright. You probably just landed on a rock."  
>"Told you." Chilta grinned, standing up. "Which way are we goin' now?"<br>"Up." Link said. "All the way to the top of this place."  
>Chilta's eyebrows rose. "We've reached a place where we don't have to go <em>down<em>? The world doesn't make sense anymore! Goddesses, take me from this crazy place!"  
>Link rolled his eyes. "Chilta, you're doing it again."<br>"You mean he's done this before?" Vaati asked, giggling quietly.  
>"Yeah, he gets overly dramatic sometimes." Link replied, shrugging. "It's usually good for a laugh." He glanced at the mountain picori. "What was it last time?"<br>Chilta thought for a moment, then sank to his knees, holding out his arms. "'Take my hands for my transgression, I beg of you!'"  
>Once the tall boy was back on his feet, the trio continued on into the next room, laughing.<p>

The trio made their way up through the fortress, cutting their way through walls of soil and angry chuchus. Leaving pools of chuchu jelly in their wake, they headed for the top floor of the structure, where Link had obtained his ocarina the year before. The Hylian boy knew it wouldn't be easy to get there; just like before, they would need to fight a rather large and intimidating monster to get where they needed to go.  
>The last time Link had ventured into the Fortress of Winds, he had faced off against Mazaal. His bow had served him well in that battle, but if not for Ezlo's magic, he would not have won; he was forced to become picori-sized several times during the fight, to get to the vulnerable insides of the mechanical monster.<br>_I hope we don't need to shrink in the next fight..._ Link thought as he scurried up a ladder to the second floor. _Even if Ezlo taught the spell to Vaati, it might not work anymore.  
><em>As the hero's picori companions climbed up, the building began rumbling, a jet of flame spraying down from a hole in the ceiling, just a few feet away from the trio.  
>"... So, uh, you're pretty quick, right?" Chilta asked, glancing at Link. "How are you at dodging <em>fire<em>?"  
>Link sighed, rubbing his temples. "This doesn't make any sense... Why are there fire traps here? This is the Fortress of <em>Winds<em>."  
>"It's not a trap." Vaati said, edging closer and looking up through the hole. "There's nothing up there. I think it was a monster."<br>Chilta groaned. "Great, a monster that breathes fire. As if those damn lizards weren't enough."  
>Vaati stepped away from the hole, holding up a hand. "Listen."<br>The Hylian boy and mountain picori strained to hear what the sorcerer had. As the building shook again, there was a faint roar from high above, just before the flames came down again.  
>"It's not just any monster, it's the one we have to fight." Link said. "Come on, let's get through here before it tries to fry us again." He hoisted his shield, holding it above his head as he dashed down the hall.<br>Chilta followed behind the Hylian boy, tucking into a roll to avoid the flames as the monster above attacked once again.  
>Vaati's magic kept him safe as he made his way down the hall, the wind that the sorcerer conjured redirecting the flames and allowing him to pass unharmed. As soon as he reached the other two boys, Link's arms wrapped around him, the Hylian boy kissing the top of the picori's head. "Cut it out..." Vaati murmured, blushing, his half-hearted protest getting a laugh from the hero.<br>"Alright, alright, I'll save the affection for later." Link grinned, letting go of Vaati. "We should be getting to another ladder soon. Just through the next room, if I'm remembering right."  
>As the young hero started into the next room, Vaati at his side, a soft picori tail wrapped around his waist.<p>

Fate smiled upon the trio as they reached the massive doors leading to the room where Link had fought Mazaal; small plants bearing blue, spherical fruit had grown all over the floor. "... Those are bombs." Chilta said, staring at them. "Those are bombs, growing out of the ground. Did we somehow step into another world?"  
>"I know who the next creature will be." Vaati stated, kneeling down to pluck a few of the bombs from the plants. "Remember the fairy tale, when the Hero of Time found 'bomb flowers' and used them to kill the fire-breathing dinosaur?"<br>Link nodded. "Yeah. What was it called? The 'Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo'?"  
>"I think so." Vaati replied, handing the bombs to Chilta. "Here, store these with the rest of them. We'll need them."<br>Chilta opened the bomb bag, shoving the bombs inside and tying it shut again. Grinning, the mountain picori stepped up to the doors and shoved them open. "Come on, boys, let's not keep the fire-breathing killing machine waiting."  
>"... He is <em>way<em> too eager to fight that thing." Link muttered, shaking his head.

King Dodongo was positively massive, a quadrupedal saurian with a single horn at the top of his head and spines lining his back, standing nearly twenty feet tall at the shoulder. His maw was filled with hundreds of tiny, sharp fangs, sticking out like little needles. His scales looked more like armor plates than part of a living body.  
>Chilta wondered how the bombs would damage something so large and heavily-armored. As the monster opened his mouth and the boys scattered to avoid the flames, the mountain picori remembered the fairy tale. "We've gotta get him to open his mouth long enough to fling a bomb in!"<br>Link rushed toward the monster, his blade sheathed, gripping the sides of the Roc's Cape. The Hylian boy leapt into the air, beating the cape downward, the added boost catapulting him onto King Dodongo's head. Hooking his legs around the creature's horn, he swung down, digging his fingers into the monster's eyes.  
>King Dodongo's roar of pain was the opportunity Chilta needed. The mountain picori pulled a bomb from the bag at his hip, hurling it with all his might.<br>"Let's make sure he can't spit it out!" Vaati exclaimed, focusing his magic on the flying bomb, a powerful gust rocketing the explosive down the monster's throat.  
>After a tense few seconds, the bomb detonated, King Dodongo slumping to the ground. "Now!" Link called. "Give him everything you've got!"<br>The two picori rushed to the prone monster, one on each side. Chilta dug into the creature's side with his claws, pinpointing spots between the monster's scales, where it was vulnerable. As soon as the tall boy's claws were buried deep enough, he began pulling them apart, the hole in the monster's side gradually widening, exposing its innards.  
>Vaati targeted the creature's foreleg, his blade sinking in just beneath the shoulder, the picori sawing away at the bone with the teeth of his blade. Not wanting to press his luck too much, he yanked his sword back after a moment, backing away and beginning to attack the wounded area with blades of wind.<br>Link drew his blade, jabbing it, repeatedly, into the monster's eye, until he was finally thrown off as the creature staggered to its feet. The Hylian boy quickly sheathed his weapon in midair, using the Roc's Cape to float gently to the floor.  
>King Dodongo curled into a ball, rolling toward the young hero, leaving a trail of blood behind it.<br>Link hopped backward into a handspring, pushing off the ground and taking to the air, batting furiously with the cape to gain altitude. As King Dodongo passed beneath him, he let go of the cape, his sword out of its scabbard in an instant. With a primal roar, the Hylian boy dropped, his blade punching through the scales of its underbelly and plunging deep into the monster's hide, sliding down to the ground as the creature fell onto its back.  
>Vaati's wings appeared as the picori unleashed his full magical power, the pale boy taking to the air and hovering above the fallen monster. "Chilta, can you open the wound that Link made?"<br>"Sure thing!" Chilta grinned, hopping up and sinking his claws into the monster's hide again, ripping skin and muscle away as he fell back to the ground.  
>Vaati swooped down, grabbing the other side and yanking it away, fulling exposing the creature's insides. "Link, finish it off!"<br>Link nodded, raising his bow and nocking an arrow to the bowstring, taking careful aim before letting it fly. The projectile whizzed between the monster's ribs, burying itself in King Dodongo's heart. "Bullseye."  
>The monster gave one more weak roar, a final jet of flame leaving its mouth as it died.<br>"That went better than I thought it would." Vaati said, his wings vanishing.  
>Chilta looked over the dead monster for a long moment, then turned to the other boys. "Somebody's gonna have to go through his guts to look for treasure. Not it!"<br>"Not it!" Vaati immediately yelped, not wanting to have to search through the monster's innards for something that may not even be there.  
>"Not- ah, damn it..." Link muttered. Sighing, the Hylian boy began to climb into the monster's corpse. "Alright, I'm going in... Goddesses, it smells in here..."<p>

When Link finally emerged from King Dodongo's remains, he was carrying a large lump of transparent material. He leveled a dull glare at Chilta. "I'm not going to yell at you, because I _did_ find something, but I really_should_."  
>The mountain picori chuckled, heading for the door. "I'll go get Belari, before you decide you really <em>do <em>wanna yell at me."  
>"We'll be up on the roof, then." Link replied, turning to Vaati. "Come on, let's see if that tablet is still up there."<br>Vaati nodded, smiling, following the Hylian boy up the stairs.

As soon as Link reached the top of the stairs, he began setting his items aside and removing his clothing.  
>"W-what are you doing?" Vaati asked, blushing and covering his eyes.<br>Link shrugged. "I'm covered in that thing's blood, I figured I'd bathe in the rain."  
>Vaati blinked, moving his hand and looking up at the clear blue sky. "... I... don't think it's going to rain."<br>"We're about to change that, my Vaati..." Link purred. "Get the ocarina out."  
>Vaati removed the ocarina from his pocket, bringing the instrument to his lips.<br>Link moved behind Vaati, his naked body pressed against the picori's back, his hands covering the pale boy's. "Play." He whispered, guiding the other boy's fingers as he played the instrument.  
>Vaati leaned back against the Hylian boy, to enjoy the warmth of his body and to watch the sky as he played. Over the course of just a few seconds, the sky darkened, black clouds gathering overhead. When Link pulled away from him, it was already beginning to rain heavily.<br>"Feel like joining me?" Link asked, the rain washing the blood from his body.  
>Vaati returned the ocarina to his pocket, thinking it over for a moment before shrugging. "I'm already soaked." He said, removing his tunic. There was no hesitation as he slid his pants down, the pale boy stepping out of them and approaching Link, finally allowing himself to look over the Hylian's body. The other boy was not nearly as skinny as Vaati, though he was still somewhat thin, his body covered in lean muscle. As the picori's gaze slowly traveled downward, he couldn't keep himself from grinning; from the look of things, he was a bit larger than the Hylian.<br>Link raised an eyebrow. "What are you grinning at?"  
>"I'm bigger than you." The pale boy giggled.<br>Link shrugged. "Yeah, well, not everyone can be blessed by the goddesses. I'm happy being average." He wrapped his arms around the picori, hugging him close. "At least I'm taller than you."  
>Vaati rolled his eyes, kissing the Hylian boy's neck. "We made it through the fortress without getting hurt..."<br>"Yeah, we did." Link replied, smiling and running a hand through the pale picori's hair.  
>Vaati closed his eyes, simply enjoying the closeness for a few moments before slowly getting down on his knees. "D-don't move..." He murmured. <em>I don't want to lose my nerve...<br>_"I'm not going anywhere." Link said. The Hylian boy gasped as he felt the picori's tongue against his cock, licking around the head and slowly down the length of the hardening member. He moaned out as his cock was suddenly surrounded by the heat of the other boy's muzzle, the tip of Vaati's tongue teasing the underside of his member.  
>The picori had no idea what he was doing, but the other boy's moans kept him going, the pale boy starting to suck the Hylian. One hand found its way to his crotch, his own cock suddenly painfully hard, demanding attention. The picori stroked himself, trying to mimic the way Link had done it the night before, surprised at how quickly he was able to finish himself off.<br>Link's hips began moving of their own accord, the Hylian boy gently thrusting into the picori's mouth, his cock grazed by the other boy's fangs. His hands rested on the pale boy's head, there more to pet him than to hold him still as the young hero took his muzzle.  
>Vaati moved with Link's thrusts, nosing at the hero's crotch each time he was pressed against it, thankful that he had enough space in his muzzle to take the other boy in completely. As he worked the Hylian boy closer to release, he was rewarded with more and more fluid dripping onto his tongue. The taste was strange; he couldn't think of anything else he could compare it to, but he found that he enjoyed it somewhat.<br>The hero's release came without much warning, the Hylian's cum filling Vaati's muzzle, the picori barely managing to swallow it down. He glared up at Link, coughing into his paw. "Maybe you could warn me next time."  
>"Sorry." Link smiled, offering his hand to the picori. "There's going to be a next time?"<br>Vaati shrugged, allowing the Hylian boy to help him to his feet. "There might be."  
>As the rain slowly stopped and the clouds began to part, the two boys gathered up their clothing and got dressed. They shared a kiss before heading back down the stairs, the hero's arm around the sorcerer's shoulders, the picori's tail around the Hylian's waist.<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
><strong>**None**

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**I'm afraid this is where things stop, for now. Fear not, friends, the story is still being written!**

* * *

><p>When Link and Vaati returned to the third floor, they found Chilta examining the strange material that Link had found within King Dodongo. Belari was seated next to the mountain picori, putting the finishing touches on the Staff of the Wind Fish.<br>"Any idea what that stuff is?" Link asked, stepping up behind Chilta.  
>The taller boy shook his head. "Nope. I don't know what it is, what temperature it melts at, how I could use it to improve our weapons... for all I know, this stuff might be from the center of the moon."<br>"Hey, maybe this means we've found a totally new type of material and we'll get to name it." Link grinned. "Make sure to keep some of it."  
>Chilta chuckled. "Alright, sure." He paused, glancing back at the Hylian and the sorcerer, noticing that they were soaking wet. "Were you two dancin' in the rain or something?"<br>Vaati did his best to conceal a blush behind his hand. "Um... there was nowhere to take cover from the rain."  
>"Oh, I really believe <em>that<em>." Chilta said, rolling his eyes with a smile. "Never mind, no need to tell me what you guys were actually up to. We ready to set out again?"  
>Link nodded. "Just about."<br>"Before we go, you should know that I've finished the staff." Belari said. "Who's going to be holding on to it?"  
>"Give it to Vaati." Link replied.<br>Belari nodded, getting up and handing the staff to Vaati, pointing out one of the two buttons near the curl at the top of it. "This one controls the staff's wind powers, from the Gust Jar. Hold it in to draw air into the staff, release to fire. The other launches the magic from the Cane of Pacci." The forest picori explained. "I hope it comes in handy."  
>"I'll make sure it gets plenty of use." Vaati smiled. Turning to Link, the pale boy offered his hand. "Looks like we only have one place left to go, before we check on things at the castle."<br>The Hylian took Vaati's hand, nodding. "The Temple of Droplets. It should be fun, sliding around on the ice."  
>"Ice? Great, I'm gonna end up falling flat on my face." Chilta groaned.<br>Link laughed. "You'll be fine, the melodrama you always carry around should break your fall."  
>The mountain picori rolled his eyes in response, picking up the clear material and starting toward the door. "Let's drop this thing off at your place before we go to that temple. I'll try to figure out somethin' to do with it on the way."<br>"Right." Link replied, following Chilta, Vaati at his side. "Maybe we should save the Temple of Droplets for tomorrow. One giant monster a day is enough for me."  
>"Amen to that." Chilta chuckled.<br>Belari lifted his pack, taking his spot at the back of the group, the four boys making their way back to the entrance of the Fortress of Winds.

The trip back to Link's home took less time than the trip out had. The Hylian boy was the first inside, starting to set his items down on the table. He froze after a moment, his gaze slowly rising from the bundled Roc's Cape to the blonde girl sitting at the foot of the stairs. "Z-Zelda?"  
>The princess of Hyrule was a mess, her hair cut short and assymetrical, most likely the result of a close encounter with a sword. Her dress was torn and spattered with blood. "Link... he killed him..."<br>"Who?" Link asked, beside the princess in an instant. "Who was killed?"  
>Zelda broke down into tears, clinging to the hero. "My father! That man in black killed him right in front of me! He- he made sure I was close enough to be sprayed by the blood!"<br>Link's eyes widened, the hero wrapping his arms around Zelda. "The king is dead...?"  
>Vaati approached the two slowly, crouching down in front of them. "Princess... The man in black, did he have fiery hair?"<br>The princess nodded. "How did you know? Who... who are you?"  
>"Zelda, it's Vaati. He's just..." Link paused, thinking for a moment before shrugging. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to deal with that man."<br>"No!" Zelda cried, her grip on Link's tunic tightening. "He'll kill you!"  
>"It's a chance we have to take." Link replied. "We need to bring the fight to him, before he gets the chance to come looking for you. If we lose you, that's it for the kingdom."<br>Zelda shook her head, though her grip slowly loosened. "And if we lose _you_, there won't be anyone left to protect the kingdom. It'll be the same either way."  
>"Then we'll just have to make sure neither of you die." Chilta grinned. "Shouldn't be too hard."<br>Zelda looked up at the mountain picori, then slowly turned back to Link. "I... I think I need to lie down. I'm seeing people with tails..."  
>"You're not hallucinating, miss." Belari stated. "But, after a traumatic experience like yours, you probably <em>should<em> get some rest."  
>Link stood, helping Zelda to her feet. "Come on." The Hylian boy smiled. "You can rest upstairs. We won't go looking for trouble until you're awake."<br>Zelda allowed herself to be led upstairs, too tired to argue. "Link, he... he knows about you. He'll be ready."  
>"I won't be alone." Link said. "It'll all turn out okay. I promise."<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**You have my apologies, dear readers, for this chapter being somewhat later than I'd anticipated. Bloody distracting games...**

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
>One-sided fight<br>Princess out for blood  
>Fiery-haired man! <strong>

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Now that that's out of the way, shall we continue?**

* * *

><p>Once he had brought Zelda to his room, Link headed outside, climbing up the burnt remains of a tree and hopping onto the roof of his home. Closing his eyes, the young hero seated himself, wondering if what he had said to the princess was a lie. <em>Is it going to turn out okay? The king is dead, his killer is going to come after Zelda, I'll have to fight him...<em> Sighing, the Hylian boy laid his head in his hands. "I'm dead and Hyrule is boned."  
>"Somebody doesn't have faith in his own abilities." Vaati grinned, swinging himself onto the roof. "Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as I'm there."<br>Link chuckled. "Now, why does that sound so familiar?"  
>"What do you think we'll be up against when we confront the man with the fiery hair?" Vaati asked, sitting next to Link.<br>The Hylian boy shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he must be pretty good with a sword, if he managed to kill the king."  
>"But... what if he did it the way I did?" Vaati asked. "What if he caught the king by surprise?"<br>"He couldn't." Link replied, shaking his head. "After last year, the king started making sure he'd be ready for an attack at any moment. If somebody surprised the king, they'd end up getting their head cut off."  
>The pale picori turned around, looking off at Hyrule Castle to the north. "I wonder what's going on up there right now. Do you think he's killing the guards, too?"<br>"Probably." Link said, laying back on the roof. "I almost wish I hadn't promised Zelda that we'd wait; the longer we take, the more people he can kill."  
>When Vaati turned back to the Hylian boy, there was a grin plastered on the picori's face. "You're the only one that made that promise."<br>Link stared at the pale boy for a few moments before shaking his head. "There's no way I'm letting you go up there alone."  
>"What's wrong? Afraid I'll steal your title of hero?" Vaati joked, leaning over to kiss Link's jaw. "I'll just go get the people out of the castle, I won't fight him."<br>"There's nothing I can say to talk you out of this, is there?" Link asked.  
>Vaati shook his head. "Not a thing."<br>"Just be careful." The Hylian boy said, getting up. "I'm going to go make sure Zelda doesn't freak out when she wakes up."  
>Vaati nodded, hopping off the roof, his wings appearing in an instant and carrying him toward Hyrule Town.<p>

Vaati touched down just outside of Hyrule Town, his wings vanishing. The picori had little trouble sneaking into the town, most of the residents at home getting ready for bed, blissfully unaware of what was happening at the castle. Still, the pale boy took no chances, sticking to the shadows as he made his way to the north. All the way to the castle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.  
>The picori boy slipped into the maze of hedges when he arrived at the castle, keeping both his breathing and his footsteps as quiet as he could, to avoid alerting the moblins that wandered the grounds. As he made his way closer to the castle itself, he spared a glance at the sky, checking for airborne sentries. When he was sure there were none, he slid up to the wall, pressing himself to it. As he looked up, at the window high above him, he readied himself. <em>I'll only get one shot at this...<em> The pale boy thought, turning back to the maze and taking a step toward it. Gathering his magic in his throat, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs.  
>No sound came from the picori. Instead, the yell came from the center of Hyrule Town. The moblins within the hedge maze started at the sound, readying their weapons and charging off to investigate.<br>Vaati smirked, launching himself upward, his wings instantly erupting from his shoulders, a single, powerful beat sending the picori through the window. A moment later, the boy was on one knee in what he could only assume was Princess Zelda's bedroom. Allowing his wings to vanish once more, he slowly stood, keeping a hand on the hilt of his blade as he eased the door open.  
>A large, tan-skinned fist slammed into the picori's jaw, sending the boy to the floor. "I thought I smelled the stench of worthless street magic."<br>Vaati snarled, rolling backward, drawing his blade. He brought his other hand up to his face, hissing softly as touched his jaw; he suspected the punch had cracked something.  
>The man in the doorway was positively enormous, dwarfing the picori. He was armored in black and red leather, the tight-fitting garb doing nothing to hide the thick muscle beneath it. His face was hidden in shadow, thanks to the hood of his black cloak, but Vaati could make out a long, slender nose and a shark-toothed grin. Long red hair spilled out from the hood.<br>Vaati glanced down, suddenly feeling a powerful burning sensation in his leg. His eyes widened as he noticed the bright light coming from his pocket. _The crystal...?_ His attention snapped back to the man, the picori charging forward and taking a wild swing at him. "You killed Ezlo!"  
>A single, blood-red eye appeared in the shadow of the man's hood, the picori's blade glancing off of some sort of barrier. Each attack was blocked the same way, the red-haired man barely moving as Vaati continued to strike at him. "Oh, did I? Hm, I don't seem to remember this 'Ezlo'. I kill so many people, it's hard to keep track!"<br>Vaati's next attack stopped short, pain shooting through the picori's body as a heavy boot slammed into his stomach. His sword fell from his hand, the boy dropping to his knees, gasping for breath.  
>"Poor, poor little child..." The man smirked, reaching down to wrap a hand around Vaati's throat, lifting the picori easily. "Such a failure. Too stupid to use real magic, too weak to use a sword, too small and frail to be of any use as a worker. You're not even fit to be a slave. I suppose I'll just have to dispose of you."<br>Vaati's body stiffened, the boy forced to endure more pain as an electric shock ran through him. He finally blacked out after a few moments, tears streaming down his face, the echo of his own scream following him into unconsciousness.

To say Link was worried would have been a monumental understatement. As the sun began to rise, the young hero contemplated shaking Zelda awake, just to tell her that he needed to go looking for trouble. He thought it over for a few minutes before standing up, starting toward the stairs.  
>Chilta, seated nearby, glanced over at the Hylian boy. "Calm down, little pal. I'm sure Vaati's fine."<br>"Well, _I'm_ not." Link replied, making his way upstairs.  
>The mountain picori sighed, shaking his head and standing, following the smaller boy.<br>"I can't help being worried about him." Link continued. "I just... it's been hours, and he hasn't come back yet. Tell me you understand where I'm coming from. What if it was Belari?"  
>"I'd rush out there and kick the ass of anyone between me and him." Chilta stated.<br>Link nodded. "Exactly. I'm about to go do that, but first, I need to wake Zelda. At least I won't be breaking a promise that way."  
>"You're not goin' out there and gettin' yourself killed alone." Chilta said, grinning. "I'm gonna come with you."<br>Link smiled, pushing open the door to his bedroom. "I was hoping you'd say that."  
>The boys found Zelda's dress discarded on the floor. The blonde girl was standing in front of the window, working on wrapping her forearms and hands with white cloth. The rest of her body was covered in blue leather, a strange symbol stitched onto each shoulder; a large red eye, with three triangular lashes above and a single teardrop below. A white scarf hid most of the princess's face from view, leaving only her eyes exposed. Several knives hung from the white belt around her waist. As she tied the cloth, she murmured a prayer to the goddesses, barely loud enough for the boys to hear. "O Din, goddess of power and she who keeps the body strong, grant me the strength to banish this evil from my kingdom... O Farore, goddess of courage and she who keeps the soul pure, grant me the resolve to stand strong in the face of evil... O Nayru, goddess of wisdom and she who keeps the mind sharp, grant me the willpower to resist any temptation set out before me..." As she turned to the boys, amber eyes shining, she tilted her head toward the window, and the castle far beyond. "Shall we go?"<br>"Princess...?" Link ventured, unsure of what he even wanted to ask the girl first.  
>"No. Queen." Zelda replied. "And it's about time for me to take my castle back."<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

**The following warnings apply to this chapter:  
><strong>**Violence**

**For disclaimer, please see chapter one.**

**Shall we continue the story, friends?**

* * *

><p>It was well past sunrise when Vaati awoke. For quite a while, the picori boy simply lay on the floor of his cell, his body too numb to move. When he finally found the strength, he staggered to his feet, taking a few shaky steps toward the barred door. He felt much lighter than he had when he entered the castle, and as he looked down, he discovered why; his blade was missing, as were the items he borrowed from Link before the trip to the Fortress of Winds. Even the armored tunic had been stripped from his body.<br>The picori took a deep breath, slumping against the door, his muzzle pressed to the cold metal. His weapons were gone, his magic sapped, his body still somewhat numb. The pale boy raised a fist, beating it against the door repeatedly, ignoring the pain that shot through his hand.  
>After a few minutes of pounding away, a gruff voice finally called to the boy from beyond the door. "Keep it down in there!"<br>Vaati scowled, standing on his toes to peek through the small slit in the top of the door. A moblin sat a bit further down the hall, a spear leaning against the wall beside him. Focusing on the spear, Vaati attempted to move it with his magic; the butt of the weapon moved almost an inch before the pain of forcing his magic became too much for the picori, the pale boy crying out and falling away from the door.  
>"I said keep it down!" The moblin snarled.<br>_I can escape..._ Vaati thought. _It's going to hurt, but I can escape..._ Determined to get away, the boy stood, returning to the door and forcing his magic once again. He tried to ignore it even as his vision began to blur, his wind magic lifting the spear from the ground and spinning it around to jab it through the moblin's skull.  
>Panting heavily, the picori shook his head, blinking several times in an effort to clear his vision enough to continue. He targeted the moblin's belt, yanking it from the dead monster's waist and pulling it to the door of his cell, quickly snatching the keys from it before his magic gave out completely. Still, the boy fought to stay conscious, fumbling with the keys until he managed to unlock the door and stumble out into the hall. <em>I have to... find the kitchen...<em> Trying hard not to trip over his own paws, the picori made his way toward the stairs, snatching the bloody spear from the moblin corpse on the way by; it wouldn't be as useful to him as his sword, but it was all he had until he could get the blade back.  
>Using the spear to keep his balance, Vaati set off to find food, hoping he would come across enough to recharge his magic and keep him from passing out. As the boy slowly made his way through the castle, he heard the ruckus upstairs. His instincts told him that he needed to get involved.<p>

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Link..." Chilta muttered, dropping into a split, a moblin's blade barely missing his head. "Your boyfriend gets captured by the dude with an army!" The mountain picori swung into a sitting position before rolling forward, his legs hooking around the moblin's neck, a quick twist of his hips breaking it. Popping to his feet, the picori immediately bent backwards, a pair of charging moblins skewering each other on the spears that Chilta narrowly avoided.  
>Link rolled his eyes, smacking a moblin aside with his shield. He sidestepped one of the porcine monsters as it charged, sweeping its legs out from under it. As soon as it hit the floor, the young hero's heels landed on its spine, the Hylian using it as a springboard to leap at one of the many darknuts moving to get involved in the fight. He managed to surprise the creature, his blade cleanly removing its head from its shoulders before it could react. He crashed into the corpse, knocking it to the floor and sliding on top of it, bowling over several moblins behind it.<br>Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?" She asked, her attention focused mostly on Link, the Queen of Hyrule barely looking at the moblins she was driving knives into.  
>"Eyes on the fight, Zelda." Link grinned, tumbling off the darknut, driving the pommel of his sword into a moblin's ribs. "I'll tell you the whole story after we finish cleaning up your castle, princess."<br>"It's 'Queen', hero boy." Zelda replied, hopping up and straddling a darknut's shoulders, spinning its helmet around and effectively blinding it. As it attempted to throw her off, she spun a pair of knives up from her belt, stabbing them under the knight's arms. Swinging herself down, she buried two more knives into the creature's legs, just above the knee. The momentum of her swing allowed her to slip between the darknut's legs and slide along the floor, knocking a moblin off its feet as she did so. She was quick to mount the creature, stabbing it repeatedly.  
>"They're real lovebirds." Chilta said, dropping to one knee and headbutting a darknut in the crotch. As the monster fell, the picori dropped onto his stomach, hooking one leg up to drive his paw into the knight's face, leaving a rather large dent in the its helmet. "Goddesses, these guys really need to protect their nads..."<br>Link spun around, stabbing his blade backward to shove it into a moblin's chest. "Chilta, did you do it _again_?"  
>"... Maybe." The mountain picori replied.<br>Zelda launched herself into the air, unleashing a barrage of knives as she sailed above the battle, several moblins suddenly quite dead. As the blonde landed, her arms hooked around a darknut's head, the girl swinging it to the floor, ripping its helmet off in the process. Her heel impacted the side of the knight's head as it attempted to get to its feet, the force of the blow breaking its neck.  
>The remaining moblins were easily slain, Chilta's talons making quick work of them. As the final darknut attempted to retreat down the stairs, a spear slid under its helmet, exiting through the top of the creature's head.<br>Vaati, barely conscious, let go of the spear and climbed over the knight's body. He pressed a kiss to Link's lips, then fell into the Hylian boy's arms. "I figured it was you..."  
>Link smiled, hugging Vaati tightly, helping the pale boy stay on his feet. "I'm glad you're okay."<br>"You have a strange definition of 'okay'." Vaati replied. "Link, I saw him. He's the one that killed Ezlo..."  
>"We'll deal with him, I promise." Link whispered, running a hand through Vaati's long hair. "Once everyone is ready."<br>Vaati blushed, giving a slight nod. "Alright. I don't know if I'll be able to fight, though; I'm completely out of magic, and he... he has my weapon and your items."  
>"And the tunic, from the looks of things." Link said. "We'll fight our way to the kitchen so you can recharge, then we'll get everything and take him down."<br>Zelda made her way through the room, gathering up any knives that weren't bent too badly, returning them to her belt. "I'll lead the way, so we don't waste any time wandering around."  
>Vaati gave a surprised squeak as he was swept up into Link's arms, the Hylian boy grinning at him. "In case you pass out on the way." He explained, giving Zelda a nod. "Let's get going, princess."<br>"You're never going to call me 'Queen', are you?" The girl muttered, chuckling a bit as she started down the hall, leading the three boys deeper into the castle.


End file.
